The First
by Terrorbyte TC
Summary: Handsome Jack creates the first male Siren, but he escapes, and works with the Vault Hunters to get the Vault key. But, when they return to Sanctuary after the crushing defeat in the Control Core, Angel returns, and she has a mission, a mission they are all determined to get right. Revenge. OC's POV. (Finished)
1. Captivity

While I was stuck in Jacks hell hole of a research lab, I learned more about pain than you could ever hope to comprehend. The things he did to me and the others wouldn't be something you would be able to sleep with at night, and it has haunted my dreams ever since the first time. My fellow "experiments" and I were injected with Eridium, over and over, tested upon with hundreds of different combination of chemicals, with no care for the mind breaking trials that we were put through. Just to see what would happen, and who would survive. I survived, and became more than anyone had ever expected possible.

I am the first male Siren, and I will have my vengeance.

* * *

I woke up in my cell, as I had for the last eternity. I had no memory of anything except my life there, if you could call it that. Looking up at the blank grey ceiling I tried, as I had every morning, to remember my family, what the world outside looked like, or how I got there. In frustration, I have no luck for the umpteenth time in a row. All I knew was that the scientists called me Fletcher. No last name, but I was lucky enough to have caught a glimpse of my age once. This information combined with my name was my chant to myself when the testing started. It was the only way I was able to stay sane. I am Fletcher, I am 16. I am Fletcher, I am 16.

I sighed, and sat up. They would have known I was awake by then; the implants had never failed before. Sure enough, right on cue, the blank door slides up into the roof and I see my regular old Hyperion Enforcer Gun Loaders waiting to lead me to the chamber. I have always thought it was a pity that the scientists never bothered to do it themselves. Then I would have at least been able to intimidate them with some unexpected humour. Or a good old hit and run, just to end it all. I know of another subject that tried that once. He made it about a hundred metres before the implants in him were detonated. The rest of us were forced to spend the next week cleaning the hall, well, when we weren't in the chamber.

Ah yes, the chamber. The place I was undoubtedly headed. I was the only subject from my group that Hyperion had left, so I had the whole place to myself, lucky me. The loaders walked along on my flanks, as relaxed as a robot could be. They had no reason to restrain me, if I tried to run, they would just paralyse me instantly. In fact, I was pretty sure they would have been able to see my heart rate rise and my muscles begin to tense up on the monitors in the control room. Those assholes knew every inch of my body inside out, and it was always better to be able to control myself, even if it was simply a privilege, than to be completely in their control.

We stopped outside the big black, and oh too familiar door, while the multitude of scanners searched every nanometre of my body. I felt like screaming at them. How could they possibly think I had anything to hide? I had no possessions, no possible way to try and circumvent the technology that this whole place was crammed with, so what was the bloody point? Unless they were trying to annoy me, in which case, they really knew how to hit that nail on the head.

As the door lifted in much the same manner as my cell, I took a deep breath and let myself relax. It was no use becoming angry. There was nothing I could do to rebel, nothing I could do that would make any difference. So I just let myself exist.

At least the one thing they did let me do was have an education. I guess they must have wanted my mind active. They showed lessons on the screen in my room each day, and I always tried my hardest to take in everything that I could. I had actually done enough calculations and figuring out on my own to know what each of the chemicals that they put into me probably were. I wasn't exactly sure, but they were usually mixes of Eridium and a few strength and intelligence enhancers. What they were trying to find out was still a mystery, but my first guess would be to make some sort of super soldier. I had ruled out them trying to create a Siren, simply because I was male, and a male Siren is impossible. Well, that's at least what I had thought at the time.

As the door finally reached the roof, we walked forward into the chamber. It was a small room now, after being reduced in size as our numbers dwindled. Now it was no bigger than and operating theatre, with instruments spread all over the trolleys and benches. The big glaring white light made the operating table glow with a supernatural aura that always made me remember the lives that this room had taken. It was a place of death and sorrow, and I hoped that if the world was to end tomorrow, this would be the first place to burn. That particular image was a bit of comfort, but what I really wanted was to light the match myself.

I made my way over to the table, as I knew I was expected to. No use making this take any longer than it had to. So, like a good patient I lay down and let the restraints lock in over my wrists and ankles, pinning me down enough that I wouldn't be able to leave, but not so much that they weren't able to get me to arch my back in pain. Sometimes I thought that those sickos might actually have enjoyed my suffering, until there was a day I had seen one of the doctor's faces with a tear streak on his cheek. That had made me think that maybe these guys were prisoners in a similar way to me, except they might have a life, a family to go back to. I have always thought that if they hesitated in their work, or tried to help me in any way, they would have a family no longer, and maybe even join me here in the chamber. No matter how much I hated anyone, nobody deserved that. Though the company would be nice.

When the restraints stopped tightening and locked into their final position, I heard the door to my left open and the surgeons walk in. As usual they were all as quiet as they could be, but their footsteps still made loud noises on the hard concrete floor.

But as I waited for them to walk over and prepare me for the injections, I heard the door open a second time, and a lone man walk slowly into the chamber. I heard the slight intakes of breath from all over the room, as the surgical team noticed the newcomer. I had no idea who it was, but from their reactions, I had to guess he was important. I couldn't see anything but a smudged silhouette, because he had entered from the door that lead from the observation deck, which was directly behind me. Or would it be above me? Well, you get the idea. Because of his angle I couldn't get a look at him, but I definitely could see the lead doctors face go pale, and I knew he was probaby about as scared as I was each time I woke up.

I heard the man talk, and what he said, and how he said it was probably the most shocking thing I had heard yet.

"Well, good morning Fletcher! How's it been going? I understand you have been helping us out with some rather fascinating research. I thought that I just might come on down today and see the fruits of your labors." While he was talking, the man had walked over to the head of the bed looked down on me. I could see his face clearly, and it is a sight that I will never forget. The mask of Hyperion CEO, Handsome Jack.


	2. Beginnings

Jack looked down on me with a hungry gaze. For the first time, I noticed he had a blue and a green eye. It gave his face a frightening and wild appearance, like he would shift into a beastly rage at any moment. The way he looked down at me, he seemed so full of himself, so sure that everything was under his control. He was so arrogant and self-centred that I wasn't even sure he thought the people around him were worth his time, but the way he stared at me for those few seconds, I knew, that he would always be interested in me. I had survived what no other person should have, and he wanted to see how far I could go. _He _was the one that took pleasure in my destruction.

I was so shocked by his sudden appearance that I could only lie there and stare. It turned out it was the right move.  
"Ah, sir, we didn't know you were coming. Are yo-you sure you want to watch? It can become quite… horrific." The doctor spoke hesitantly, as if a single mistake in wording would mean his untimely end. I watched a change come over Jacks face. He hid it quickly, but I saw the rage that was contained under the pale mask. As Jack turned towards the doctor, the rest of the staff shrank back from his gaze. Except for the occasional shiver, the room could have been mistaken for a museum.  
"If you don't mind me asking, Doctor Stevens, at what point did people begin to question my actions? I mean, come on, that would be suicide, and I know that you have everything a man could want. A beautiful wife, two lovely children and a comfy, well-paying job, it would be a waste for you to give up on it all now. So, please, let's stick to our respective pay grades, shall we? Of course, if you want to become part of young Fletchers experiments in a more personal way, that could easily be arranged. Do I make myself clear?" Jack's face wore a horrible mutation of a smile, and I knew that the doctor might not see one of his kids again, no matter what else happened here.  
"O-of course sir. My apologies."  
"That's better. Now, why are we all standing around like stunned skags? Get to work!"

I had hated Jack before, but after that, the thought of him really made me seethe with anger. How could he treat another human being so lowly? He has nothing against the man; it was just a simple question, and a decent one at that. As his gaze turned toward me and he saw the disgust that I let show freely on my face, he smiled. "Oh, come now, I'm not all that bad. If this particular experiment goes right, we'll be spending _much _more time together. Trust me. You'll learn to enjoy it, if you survive. But hey, you've made it this far! I have complete faith in you. Well, as much faith as you can put into someone who has nothing but what you give them. So really, you should be full of hope. Get it? Because I… ah never mind. Sometimes I overestimate you people."

He stepped back and motioned Doctor Stevens to carry on. I couldn't concentrate on anything anymore except the vials he was loading into the syringes. They glowed more ominously than any before, and the chemicals inside whirled and shifted, making it hard to see any one colour clearly. Blended together, the vials looked like they were filed with a mixture of crimson red paint, and the blackest ink. I knew that the red was the combination of the liquefied Eridium and strength enhancers, but the black was new, I looked at it with more apprehension than any serum I had seen. And I had seen more than my fair share, as you know.

Jack had noticed the look on my face and chuckled lightly. "Oh, don't worry Fletcher! That vial is just an upgraded version of the other serums. Combined, I'm sure they will provide quite… fascinating results." I glanced at him, and he smiled and gave me a thumbs up. Seriously? A thumbs up? What weird ass planet did this guy come from?

Stevens approached me now, one of the syringes in his gloved hand. On the other side, his assistant doctor also approached with a similar looking vial, but instead he injected it into a small tube in the side of the table. Stevens looked down on me with what looked like pity.  
"That serum that Doctor Jones has just placed in that tube will be injected straight into your spine, Fletcher. To prevent any unnecessary damage to you or the equipment, we will need to secure you completely. If you would lie still and flat, please." He sounded so sad, but I didn't let any pity show. He needed to know that even though he was probably about to go through one of the worst experiences of his life, I had been living in worse for a long time now. So I set my features in stone and tried to get as comfortable as I could.

As the doctors pulled the straps tight, I grew even more apprehensive. What could they expect to happen that would require such safety measures? I had been through incredibly painful things before, and they had never gone this far. Jones stepped back, satisfied with the straps, and the rest of the team turned to the monitors, ready to begin.  
"Vitals steady and brain activity normal sir. The patient is ready." The nurse on the left spoke quietly, and nodded to Stevens.  
"Alright Fletcher, you've been through horrible things before and you've always come out strong. Please, don't give in now." He sighed, and looked up at the nurse, "I'm beginning stage one. All eyes on monitors people, we can't have a single mistake."

Just as Stevens was about to beginning the first injection, Jack stood up, a look of annoyance on his face. Jack seemed to be talking into his ECHO, and he wasn't happy with the news he was receiving, "Damn it! Alright, I'm going, I'm going," Jack turned suddenly, "Stevens, I have other business to worry about, apparently. Don't stuff up, or it will be all your heads." With a final glare at everyone he stormed out of the room and the door closed quietly behind him. The others looked at each other, seemingly glad that he had left, but it showed there was more to worry about out there than just Jack.

"Everyone, focus," Doctor Stevens turned back to me, the syringe at the ready, "Beginning stage one. Ready on the controls Jones." He leant over and slowly pushed the needle into my left arm, found a vein, and injected the serum slowly. As the fluid began to flow in my bloodstream, an inconceivable burning sensation travelled along with it. I groaned in pain, and felt my body tense up. This was bad, but I had experienced worse. I would not pass out from this, but I knew it would be close.

Then, through the red haze around my vision, I saw Stevens nod to Jones. "Begin stage two on my count. Five, four, three, two, one, begin." A split second later, I felt a second needle push up into my back. It kept going until I thought it might just pierce my heart. Again, I felt the contents being unloaded into my system, but this pain did not travel like the other. They had been aiming for my spinal cord, and they found it. The pain pulsed out in waves along my body. I felt as if someone had filled my bones with fire, but I did not pass out. I groaned loudly, and my whole body arched, stretching against the straps.

"Jennie! Begin stage three. NOW!" Stevens was handed another syringe, it might have been filled entirely with Eridium but I can barely remember; the pain was so overwhelming. Stevens did not hesitate and pushed the needle straight into my left leg, ejecting the contents into me as fast as he could. The pain was now all consuming. I kept chanting in my head. _I am Fletcher, I am sixteen. I am Fletcher, I am sixteen. _

As the pain increased with each beat of my heart, I began to feel some sort of energy rush through me. It was as if a gate had been opened and a flood had been let loose. I hoped it would ease the pain, but instead it brought it to a climax. I screamed, my voice breaking, as the energy and pain pulsed once more all along my left side. I felt the energy leave me in a massive wave, breaking the bonds and destroying the equipment throughout the room.

The last I remember, before passing out, was seeing my left arm glowing brightly before cooling into mysterious blue marks. My gaze shifted and I saw Doctor Stevens' lifeless body against the wall. Then the darkness rushed in around me, and I fell willingly into blissful unconsciousness.


	3. Escape and Alliance

**A/N: Hey guys. First authors note in the story pops up in chapter 3, weird right? I thought I might apologise for the cliff hanger last chapter. This is my first fan fiction, even though I have been reading them for ages. Last chapter, I was smashing it down, and then I realised I didn't know where I wanted it to go. Since then I have had writers block, but thanks to some help from a friend figuring out what is plausible or not, here it is. It's also probably the longest chapter I'm ever going to write, but we'll have to wait and see. Reviews are greatly appreciated as I am trying to improve my writing just as much as produce something you guys can enjoy. So, read on, and thanks for the support! :D**

* * *

I awoke slowly, my eyes fluttered like camera shutters and my head throbbed. I was lying on the table in the chamber, and it was the only place left in the whole room that wasn't destroyed, literally. The floor around the computers was covered in glass, all the medical instruments were lying against the walls, bent and in pieces, and the bodies of the surgery team scattered all around like ragdolls thrown unceremoniously aside. Not one of them was breathing or uninjured, with some having been killed by the very equipment they had been holding.

I looked around at them all, my heart heavy. However, while I may have pitied their untimely end, I know that if they had not died, I would not have been able to escape. I suppose everything like that requires a sacrifice.

I stood up off the table, testing my legs. I felt stronger than I had ever before, and there was something else now, an energy that I could sense around me. I could feel it inside me, could feel my body drawing on the energy to heal, recover, and boost my mind and body. I had a flash of intuition then, as I began to look at the marking on my arm closely. I knew a little about the ways Sirens were able to use their power. They were able to harness energy, known as Phase, and bend it to their will so as to be faster, stronger and have amazing powers, with the tattoos a side effect of the power traveling through them for the first time. Each Siren preferred to use this power in a different way, as well as having varying amounts of control over the Phase.

I also knew that none of them were male.  
Well, there is a first for everything, right?

I made my way carefully over to each of the scientists, avoiding the glass. I searched each one for equipment, and found a few useful items. First on my list were clothes, which I removed from Doctor Steven. He was the least bloodied and I guessed he must have died from brain damage. The clothes he wore under his jacket fit were simple, but fit me well enough. Just a dark T-shirt, jeans and a belt, socks and boots and his I.D. swipe card. I was especially happy to find his I.D. card, simply because I would be able to open the bloody door out to the rest of the installation. And bloody was not just a figure of speech.

I pulled Jones's mangled body out of the way, and swiped the card. The door slid open slowly, but not all the way. _The impact of the body must have bent it. Just how much force did I release? _I knew that what I had done was impressive, but this is what really made me think that if I could learn to control my power, I would be a force to reckon with.

Crouching, I looked down the corridor, checking for anything that might be a problem. I saw no people, but there were cameras placed at regular intervals all the way along. The only doors were the one I had just opened and an identical one at the end of the corridor. I also knew from previous experience in this place that the cameras would not only be video, but I.D. and implant scan as well.

I had only just opened the first door, and I was already stuffed. Time to think outside the box, which meant in this case, in the Phase.

I knew that Sirens could alter the Phase in many ways, but only ever did it when they had too, or when showing off. So, I thought I might see just how much control I had. For safeties sake I decided to try on one of the broken computers in the chamber first, in case I stuffed up and set off an alarm or something.

I closed the door again and walked back into the centre of the room. One of the computers on the far side looked fairly intact, so it would be my first target. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the energy in the Phase. I felt that I could move it around the room, and draw it together, but it would always be replaced by more. It was easiest to draw into myself, but much harder to force to separate if not already grouped. So, as I drew some into myself, I opened my eyes, and caught my reflection in the screen. I gasped, and almost lost control of the energy.

I saw myself with my messy uncut brown hair and my stolen clothing, but there was much more now. My eyes were glowing with a bright crimson energy, and my blue tattoos were aglow, but the same colour as they were usually. While that was cool, it was the wings that had appeared that impressed me. They were at least two-and-a-half metres across and had layered colours. Black where the bones of a real wing would be and as crimson as my eyes for where the feathers would be. They moved and shifted like flame, as did the light radiating from my Siren tattoos.

To put it lightly, I was excited. Then I remembered I was still trapped here, with no obvious way out. It was time to get back on task.

I returned my attention to the energy, and pulled more into myself. It was whirling and pulsing, but it was still firmly under my control. I could guide it around my body, but it was easiest down my left, and along the tattoos. When I moved it down my arm, it began to speed up of its own accord, trying to burst its way free. I barely held it back, and regained control. I wasn't quite ready to release it just yet. I tried to see if I could do more with the energy, instead of just move and shift it around. It was unruly, and would not do much more than strengthen me or form a concentrated grouping. I was sure I could do more, but I decided that would have to wait until I escaped.

If I escaped.

I guided the energy back to me, and built up a small amount. Enough that it was easy to control, and would hopefully not be too powerful when released. I smiled at my reflection, raised my arm, and let the energy free out my palm.

A pulse of energy shot from my hand, launching across the room in a myriad of blues. It travelled very quickly, and slammed into the computer, shredding bits off just with the initial impact, and obliterated it against the wall. All that was left when I looked at it was a smoking heap of electronics and a lot of shattered glass. I was pleased. If that small amount of Phase energy could do that much damage, I really stood a chance.

I thought again of how the energy looked as it was released, and came up of the perfect name for my power.

Phasepulse.

I returned to the door, opened it with the key card, and looked down the hall. The cameras sat in their places, keeping their silent vigil. I smiled again. They wouldn't be sitting there much longer, if I had anything to say about it.

I looked out of the bottom of the door at the roof above, in case there was a camera sitting in the corner. Sure enough there was. I pulled my head back in, and built up the smallest amount of energy I could, and prepared myself to run. Once I took out that first camera, I would have to move fast. It would only be a matter of time before guards noticed and sent bots or soldiers to intercept me.

Where I was headed, I had no idea. All I knew was that I would find a way out of here, no matter what I had to do.

Moving as quick as I could, I ran forward and slid under the door, turning up towards the camera and releasing the Phasepulse when I had my palm towards it. The camera was shattered and fell loose, swinging by the cables coming from the wall. I turned back down the corridor, and moved towards the next camera. I pulled in a relatively small amount of Phase as I ran. I released the Phasepulse at it, and it was destroyed the same as the others. I made my way quickly down the corridor taking out the cameras with ease.

I got to the door, and tried to see up and down the hall, but the wall extended past the door too far. I would have to open it now and hope for the best.

Readying myself, I swiped Stevens' card and the door slid up quickly and silently. Before I stepped out to look around the corner, I realised that my wings would stick out well before I could see anything. _Shit, I nearly forgot about that._ I concentrated, and tried to see why the wings appeared when I readied my Phasepulse. I drew in a little, and this time, as I concentrated, I could feel the power being ever so slightly siphoned off by the wings. I cut of the connection and felt them disappear.

Knowing I could cause them to appear and disappear by will, I moved to the door again. I walked out along the left side, and carefully peered out down both ends of the hallway. To the left, there was a stair case, and to the right, there seemed to be security desk with an empty chair. I wondered where the guard went, but really didn't care. Wherever he was, I owed him for the chance to even make it out of there.

I moved quickly across to the stairs and made my down as quickly as I could, without making unnecessary noise. I made it a few levels down without incident, then, just as I began to think I could relax, a door on the level below me burst open. A group of people came out and ran down the stairs; I looked down and caught a glimpse of what I assumed to be a Hyperion Combat Engineer. They hadn't heard me, so I decided to follow them, and see what the commotion was about. Moving quietly enough that they wouldn't be able to hear me over their own running I followed them to the lower levels.

They were very disciplined soldiers. They only noise they made was their combat boots on the floor and their heavy breathing as they ran down the stairs one after another. I kept up easily, my new Siren power allowing me flexibility and control. I'm sure that the enhancers that I had been injected with had a lot to do with it, but the majority of control was from the Phase enhancing my senses and co-ordination.

I heard the soldiers pull to a stop, and begin talking in low voices to each other. I couldn't make out the specific words, but I there seemed to be only one voice. I assumed he was the squad leader issuing his orders, and waited to see what exactly the rest of them would do. I kept moving, so quiet I would only disturb a mouse, and slowly leant around the railing to look down at the soldiers.

They were dressed in the regulation Hyperion yellow combat gear and seemed to outfitted with standard Hyperion weaponry. I also saw that the majority of them had what I guessed were shotguns, with pistols on their hips, as well as little contraptions that glowed slightly, and I realised they were shields. If I was to make it out of here without becoming a bullet riddled bit of meat, I needed to find some combat equipment like that.

I watched silently as they lined up beside the door, with three of them with their backs to me, and the one other facing the door. The one at the door yelled out, and burst out the door. There was some intense gunfire, as well as a few bullets bursting through the doorway.

I ran down behind the last soldier began to turn the corner and enter the fray beyond. Just as he was about to bring his gun around and begin firing, I charged my Phasepulse and blasted him in the back, launching him out the door and into his squad mates. They fell into a jumbled heap, trying to untangle themselves from their broken and dying friend. I used their confusion to my advantage and ran forward, charged another, much more powerful Phasepulse, and let it out with a yell. The group of four were thrown against the far wall with a sickening crunch. None of them moved again.

I had let my wings show, and heard another sound beside me. I charged another Pulse and turned toward it, a snarl on my face. I saw nothing, and was going to turn around, but as I did, a blade appeared under my throat. It glowed with a sinister aura, and I could feel the heat radiating off the weapon.

"I move as the wind/ He is under my control/ Step forward friends"

I froze, letting the power dissipate, and my tattoos fade. From behind the pillars around the room came four individuals, all looking very suspicious and a little nervous. They had seen what I did to the Hyperion soldiers, and obviously knew I was dangerous. Hence the sword at my throat.

The first to talk was someone I was incredibly shocked, and yet happy to see. She was a siren, and I could feel a lot of power radiating from her. It was different to mine, more subtle and refined, but the tattoos on that I could see were identical to mine.

"Who are you? And why the hell are you a siren?"

She stared at me with a burning curiosity. Her blue hair framed her face and highlighted her deep blue eyes. She was tall, and moved with grace that was the effect of her power. I did not answer right away but instead looked around at the rest of the group, assessing them each as they stepped forward.

The next was a man slightly taller than the Siren, with sandy blonde hair and what looked like a military ranking on his forehead. He held a dangerous looking assault rifle in his hands with ease, and stood tall and confident. He studied me with intelligent eyes, and I saw an interesting camera contraption on his shoulder. But while he seemed like a very difficult man to kill, he drew half the attention of the man next to him.

He was a midget, or, at least very close. He had wild, dark blue hair pulled into a mohawk and a large similar coloured beard. He frowned at me and had a feral look in his eyes. His orange shirt was stained and torn in places, as were his faded jeans. His red triple barrelled shotgun had a grotesque drawing of teeth running down the side. It had a massive blade that was covered in gore and dented till it was nearly unusable. The man had the look of a berserker and I did not want to cross him.

The girl who stepped forward was an interesting one. She had a mechanized arm and wore something that was suspiciously like a punked out school uniform. Her hair was a bright red and tied into two ponytails. She held a bright blue SMG in her hands, her regular hand on the trigger mechanized supporting the barrel. She looked nervous, her finger was still pressed on the trigger and she stood ready to move quickly.

The only other member of the group was the person behind me, who was obviously adept with a sword.

So, I returned my attention back to the Siren, who stood with obvious impatience.

"You better hurry up and answer, or we'll just leave you here to take on the whole bloody Hyperion army yourself. Who are you? And the more important question, why are you a Siren?"

She stepped forward threateningly, but I could tell she wouldn't hurt me in cold blood. This woman seemed to, refined and graceful to kill a man who had no reason to die.

I chose my words carefully, and spoke as clearly as I could. I was worried that any misunderstanding could be the end of me.

"My name is Fletcher. I have been held captive here by Jack and his army for as long as I can remember. Only a few hours ago, his scientists finally succeeded in the mission he had given them. They apparently were able to combine enough Eridium and weird ass chemicals to create me, the first male Siren. I am not your enemy, and all I want it to escape this bloody lab. So, here I am, and there you are. It seems that we have a shared goal. I can fight, I am powerful, and I'm pretty sure handling a gun isn't too difficult. If we work together, I escape and you gain an ally. Sound like a plan?"

I stood still now waiting for her reaction. She stared at me, indecision written all across here features. The man beside her leaned in and whispered into her ear. I didn't quite catch what he said, but she seemed to come to a decision.

"Step back Zero. Fletcher comes with us."

The sword dropped away from my neck and I was able to relax. The man from behind me stepped forward to join his friends. He was extremely tall, just as thin, and held the long katana with ease. It digitised and he clipped the hilt to his belt, then digistructed a long glowing green sniper rifle. It was a massive and heavy weapon, but he slung it over his shoulder as if weighed no more than a feather.

I rubbed my neck where the sword ha depressed against my skin, "So, if you guys don't mind me asking, who the hell are you, and why are you here?"

They glanced at each other, looks of amusement passing between them.

The man with the assault rifle spoke, chuckling lightly, "I guess you really have been locked up in here for a while. We are vault hunters, and we are in this particular Hyperion base looking for a vault key."

The blue haired man spoke up, "A vault key and some revenge. We've seen some pretty bad things done at Jack's orders, amigo. We have dished out a fair amount of pain, but it's not enough." He shook his head and stared me down.

"Jack is worse than evil, amigo. He needs to die, and he needs to die slow."

I had known this for a while, and thought that maybe these guys needed a little hint on what I had been through.

"Oh, trust me, I know. Probably better than any of you. I will explain everything, but after we escape." I glanced around at them all, making sure they understood I was going to keep my word.

"Look, Fletch. We are going to help and you will make it out of here alive." The Siren spoke quietly; she could feel that I was angry at everything. "My name is Maya. I'm a Siren, a lot like you, but my power is different. Instead of a big blast of energy, I use the phase to pick up and crush enemies, and increase the elemental effects from my weapons."

At this, she showed me her pistol. It was blue and green, with the word DAHL written on the side.

"The green colouring shows it corrosive, which is absolutely awesome against these Hyperion idiots. Here, take it." I grasped it firmly, feeling its weight and balance in my hand. It was comfortable and I had an immediate liking to the weapon. Maya could tell by the look on my face.

"Keep it," She said, smiling at me kindly, "I have another one, and I can tell you have found a favourite." Maya turned back to the blonde man. "Axton, give the kid a shield. He'll need one that isn't a total piece of crap if he's going to make it anywhere here."

The man named Axton smiled, and digitised what I assumed was a shield and handed it to me.

"Here you go bud. Just hook it on your belt, and it will do the rest." I took the shield and slipped it onto my belt, just as he had told me, but nothing happened.

"Ah, Axton, shouldn't I notice something?"

He frowned at me thoughtfully, "You have an ECHO device?"

I shook my head, and he nodded realising the problem. "Well, that would do it. Here," He created another object and handed it to me. "Clip this somewhere that it won't be easily damaged. If that thing gets busted, well, you're really in the shit then."

I hooked it over my belt, just behind my right hip, where all of my body would be between it and any enemies I would be firing at. As it powered up, a few different displays showed up in my field of vision. I could see a health display, which a shield monitor, which displayed about 600, an ammunition monitor the bottom left, and a mini-map in the top right corner.

"If you need ammo, just reach around and touch the ECHO. It should digitise it straight into your palm. If not, shout and Maya will chuck you some."

They all got ready to leave, but I was a little taken aback. "Whoa, whoa, hang on. I still don't know the rest of you yet. How am I supposed to tell you to get out of the way of my Phasepulse if I have no idea who you are?"

"Well, put kid. The short guy is Salvador, that tall one in black is Zero, the red head is Gaige, I'm Axton as you know, and the Siren is Maya as you know also. Now, you got that?"

I nodded to each in turn as he said they're names. They seemed sane enough, and I guess they saw the same in me. I looked at Maya and smiled, happy that I had found people who could actually help me, not just endure with six of us moved over to the staircase I had come down. I suppose we were heading up, pity we couldn't take the elevator.

Axton looked through the gap between the staircases. "Well, I suppose a little cardio can't hurt. Let's get moving guys."

And we began the long, tiring climb to the top. I just hoped I wouldn't have to see that infernal chamber ever again, because never would be too soon.

* * *

**A/N: Well, there it is. The longest chapter I have written of anything ever. Thanks for reading all the way through, and please, please review, as any advice is greatly appreciated. Any recommendations for story direction would be nice too, as I think I might have a similar problem if I don't get it out of the way quickly. Saying that though, the next chapter should be up in the next few days. Thanks for reading! **

**~Terrorbyte~**


	4. The BNK3R

**A/N: Hey guys, next chapter up already. I have waaaayyyyy too much spare time. I hope you have been enjoying it so far, and can't wait to hear from you about any improvements or changes I may need to make. Even if all you have to say is "Hey, you're nailing it," I would know I have nothing to worry about. Of course, it's probably the other end of the scale, but hey, that's why I'm doing it. Thanks for reading and enjoy the new chapter.**

* * *

"God damn it! I'm reloading!" I took cover behind the boxes and dropped the mag from my pistol. BNK3R wasn't taking it easy on us. The behemoth had taken countless rounds and we had killed countless of his little loader friends, but it seemed a futile attempt. We needed a chance to regroup, to fall back and plan. He wasn't going down if we didn't change tactics, at least not without a miracle.

Maya stood up next to me and fired a few small bursts from her SMG. The rounds emptied their corrosive load into BNK3R's massive, impenetrable armour. She crouched again as a gun loader off to our right fired a burst her way.

"Oh my GOD, this is taking too long. We need a plan." She glanced at me, anger in her eyes. "Cover me Fletch, I'm going to try and get a better look at this piece of junk."

I stood and launched a Phasepulse into the nearest loader, tearing him apart. I changed targets and fired quick bursts at the loaders that were converging as Maya emptied the rest of her mag into BNK3R, getting the best look at his armour she could. Her ammo ran out just as I brought the last loader tumbling, and we both dropped down and reloaded.

"If we could just get him to stay still, he wouldn't stand a chance! The sensors on his front look vulnerable, a few good shots should take him down."

I looked up as the giant robot swooped overhead. "You can't Phaselock something that big, I take it?"

She stood and fired at some newly generated loaders as she explained, "I could, if he was still. Moving as quickly as he is, a Phaselock only crushes him a little, and slows him down." She glanced across at me, "If you timed the biggest Phasepulse you could create and hit him right as he flew over us, it should slow him enough to allow me to get a good hold of him." She shrugged, "I only hope we can fire enough bullets into his face to take him out."

I nodded. My most powerful Phasepulse wouldn't only slow him; it might even knock him back a bit. But hey, all for the fun right?

I stood and fired at some loaders that were coming down the stairs from the waterfall. "Get on the ECHO to the others. They'll need to be ready if we are to get this done. As soon as he is in range of your lock, yell, and I'll let loose." I turned to her and met her eyes, "Just be absolutely sure that no one is in front of me, or they won't stand a chance."

Maya nodded, and began talking into her ECHO. I fired round after round at the loaders. They lost arms, legs, and melted into little puddles of green smoking gloop. I saw Axton's turret firing hundreds of rounds and turning this way and that, tearing chunks out of the robots armour. Deathtrap was tearing into a Badass Loader while Gaige and Axton mowed him down with their weapons from behind. The loader didn't last long.

Zero was up on the top of the hill, next to where the waterfall dropped off. He had his massive sniper rifle, and the shots echoed out across thousand cuts every time he fired. The noise created a steady beat. Every round was a death call.

Salvador was on the staircase below Zero, mowing down loaders with the interesting combination of a Maliwan corrosive SMG and a massive clip Bandit shotgun. The crazed gunzerker laughed as his enemies fell before the onslaught of bullets. He ran forward into the fray, cutting them down left and right. It was really a sight to see.

I looked back out to the open air, and saw BNK3R turning for another approach. It was the perfect chance to take this bastard down.

"Maya! Here he comes, get ready and cover me, I'm charging." She brought down the bull loader that had tried to sneak up behind us and nodded to me. She was ready, time to end this.

I felt the energy in the phase and began drawing it in as fast as I could. It was much easier to control now, and the force that would be released would have torn a building to shreds. But BNK3R was coming in fast, so I kept charging, waiting for Maya to give me the signal.

"Be ready Fletcher. Just a few more seconds," She was staring bunker down, her wings flaring out behind her as she readied her own power.

"Now!"

I raised my palm and released the energy with a feral yell. It was a massive wave, knocking me off my feet and back into the boxes. The pulse raced toward BNK3R at the perfect angle. It slammed into him, knocking the massive machine backwards and upwards with its force.

As he began dropping, the signature purple orb caught him, and Maya grunted. "Hurry up and start firing guys, I can't keep this up for long!" She was kneeling behind me, straining with concentration. I was firing and reloading as fast as I could into the sensors and cameras that were on BNK3R. I could see so much acid and molten metal that I wondered what his armour was made of, to be able to stand that much punishment.

Then, just as Maya yelled out and the orb disappeared, BNK3R's armour spilt through the middle. The acid fell straight into his electronics and engine, eating away with vicious speed at the vulnerable metal. The defence bot dropped like a stone onto the platform, cracking the concrete and dealing even more damage to itself. The engines and boosters sputtered and died, and the mechanical beast was defeated.

I sighed, and turned to Maya. She had collapsed onto one knee and was panting heavily with exhaustion.

"Nice job." I held a hand out, "Didn't know you had it in you."

She reached out and I helped her up. She smiled at me tiredly. "You of all people should know, never underestimate a Siren." I smiled back. She really was impressive.

"Holly shit guys." Gaige ran over, a massive grin on her face. "That was definitely the coolest thing I have ever seen, and I own a badass robot that rips dudes apart." I laughed. Gaige knew how to make a statement.

"Yes most impressive/ The powers of a Siren/ Are a force to fear." Zero had a big :) hologram over his visor.

I smiled back at him, "I'm just glad I was on your team. I wouldn't have stood a chance."

He shook his head, "You are my better/ But a duel would be pleasing /First for the vault key."

I nodded and Axton spoke up, "I was about to say. Enough time for swapping stories when we get back to Sanctuary." He paused and looked around in confusion, "Wait, where's Salvador?"

Maya looked over his shoulder and smiled. "You should be impressed by this one, commando. He's a walking turret."

Everyone turned to look at Salvador, who was standing on the ledge above. He had removed bits of armour from the loaders and was wearing them himself like a big metal exoskeleton.

"Come and get me, you Hyperion sons of b" As he was about to finish his rather vulgar sentence, the piece he had been wearing on his head slid down over his face, blinding him and causing him to stumble around in surprise. He fell straight off the ledge into the middle of the group, everyone around him jumping back and bursting out laughing. The gunzerker sat up, and began pulling bits of armour off. "Oh, come on guys! I'm not that funny." The rest of us cracked up all over again at his expression. "Fine laugh it out! I don't care."

We calmed down pretty quickly, remembering our mission. As we began to make our way back down to the door to control core Angel, we decided that Axton would be the one to open the door. He was the closest to Jack in height and size, so logically he would be the least likely to be denied.

"Alright, I've put this voice modulator on. Angel, what's the password?"

Angel's digital appearance was visible on our HUD's. "I'll tell you when it asks, just go stand on the Hyperion symbol, and the computers will do the rest."

We stood in a rough semicircle around the door as Axton walked up and stood where Angel had said. The computer scanned him, and seemed to accept the bio signature that was being broadcast by the body double's watch.

The computer spoke. "What is the password?"

Angel spoke slowly, seemingly embarrassed or apprehensive. "The password is, I love you."

Axton frowned, but spoke clearly. "I love you."

The computer worked for a second, before the door opened with a hiss. "Hello sexy." It said, obviously programmed in by Jack to appeal to his sickening vanity.

We made our way in, guns ready. Axton took off the watch and voice modulator. We looked around the small room, but the only path that could lead anywhere was an open lift, leading down into the depths of the cliff.

"Well, looks like we're headed down." Maya moved over to the lift controls, "Everyone ready?"

We all nodded. This was probably going to be the hardest fight we had fought yet, but we would face it willingly and together.

"Vault key, here we come," She said, and flicked the switch.

* * *

**A/N: I thought I might skip ahead to the killing of BNK3R, just because the way up through the core would have been a bludge to write. Also, I wanted to get to the control core fight ASAP, as there is so much potential in it and the events after it. Please mention anything you want to see more of and I'll do my best. Thanks again, and the next chapter should be up very, very soon!**


	5. Angelic Sacrifice

**A/N: I have waaaayyyyy too much spare time. Enjoy!  
(Also, DT stands for Deathtrap, for later reference)**

"Jack can't charge the Vault Key with Eridium alone. That would take 200 years. Jack's patient, but he's not that patient. What he needs is a catalyst."

We had reached the bottom of the lift, and saw a much different looking set of corridors than the rest of the core. We moved through the never ending set of passages with extreme care, who knew what sort of traps Jack would have placed around his two most prized possessions in the galaxy?

We made our way down yet another hallway, but found a dead end. The only door was locked.

"To stop him from charging the key, you need to destroy his catalyst. You need to destroy, me."

The room around us grew blurry, and I could feel something extremely powerful altering the Phase in ways I had no chance of understanding. As our vision grew clearer, we looked up in a digital world to see a Siren with brilliant white wings. She was wearing a black tight fitting garment and had the look of someone who had been locked away from the world for her entire life.

Angel wasn't an artificial intelligence, she was a Siren.

We stood in shock, each of us completely taken aback at this revelation. It all fell into place now. As we had been coming up the core, the others had filled me in on the outside world and their own situation, as well as information on Angel. I knew now why Jack had mentioned in an ECHO to some assassins of his why he knew of three Sirens. I had at first thought he meant Commander Steele, but she had died. I also remembered them saying that any time Angel had done something for them, she had said 'executing Phaseshift'. Now that I knew that she was a Siren, the words had more meaning.

I could feel immense power emanating from all around, but I also knew that no-one, not even the most powerful Sirens could have such impressive control over the Phase without help. So my only choices were that we had all started tripping out at the same time, in the same way, or Angel had something making her incredibly powerful.

"You get the hell away from my daughter!" Jack's ECHO cut through our minds like a knife through hot butter. The world we were seeing was abruptly cut off as Angel was electrocuted, losing her control over the Phase. I felt the pain it caused her as the Phase she had been altering returned to its normal state. But what Jack had said was really what shocked me.

Angel was his daughter too? What else could possibly happen here?

The door in front of us slid up as Angel told us to enter and get ready. "You have to destroy the Eridium injectors if you want to stop the key from charging." We opened fire on the large contraptions that led into Angel's shielded enclosure. "Yes, like that!"

"Oh no you don't, shields up!" Jack sounded furious. The injectors were immediately surrounded by thick orange shielding, our bullets bouncing off.

"Crap!" Axton was looking around the room for a way to reach the injectors, so we could disable the shields. "Maybe if we cli-"

He was cut off by a large pillar rising from the ground beneath him. He barely maintained his balance as it sped upward till it stopped at about two metres in height. "Holy shit! What the hell is this thing?"

"Look out; I can't stop Jack's auto defences. Just hang on, I'll try and help however I can." Angel warned us a second too late.

The pillar began to glow ominously, and an electric pulse ran up the sides, before a large stream of electricity shot out at each of us. It began draining all of our shields too quickly for them to hold out for long.

I immediately charged a Phasepulse; my wings flaring behind me. "Axton, JUMP!" He launched himself off the top of the device and I let the power loose. The pulse ripped the device free from the ground, launching it into an identical contraption that had appeared further around, destroying them both. Around the room, loaders had started spawning from digistruct units, and more of the electro-pillars were popping up.

"Everyone spread out!" Axton yelled over the noise of all the machinery, "If we are grouped up, we will be too vulnerable against these bloody pillars. Move!"

In groups of twos we spread to different sections of the room, each firing as we ran. Maya and I moved left, heading for the far side, while Axton and Gaige followed, stopping under one of the other Eridium injectors. Zero and Sal went right, Salvador yelling as he brought his bloodlust to its peak.

We reached our sectors as the digistruct units finished off the loaders. These were newer, upgraded versions of the regular gun loaders. The joints had been covered, protecting the limbs from being removed by bullets, and the loaders also carried two guns instead of one. I guess Salvador may have finally gotten himself noticed.

The loader turned toward me and opened fire, but it only got off a single round before it was suspended in a familiar purple orb. I fired straight into its optic sensor, and the enemy exploded inside the orb. Maya released the broken robot and began firing at another that had come up behind her.

"Maya, dive left!" As she responded instantly and leapt across, I threw a Phasepulse into the loader, and he was launched back into a pillar that had just risen. I turned and fired another pulse into another enemy, but he was launched back into the shield that had been created by an ION loader.

"Shit. That worked well. Where's some bloody cover when you need it?" I charged a massive pulse and tried to bring down the ION loaders shield. It worked better that I had expected, with the majority of energy actually passing through the shield and disrupting the loaders cycle. As the shield disappeared Maya threw out a grenade. It teleported into their midst, then drew them all in, before exploding in a shower of acid that destroyed the group in seconds.

"I'm here Vault Hunters!" Roland ran out on one of the catwalks near the Eridium injector above us. He stopped in shock when he noticed me, then Angel as well. "Who the hell is that? And did I miss something else too, or is Angel a siren?!"

Angel immediately took advantage of the situation. "Roland, I need you to lower the shields around the Eridium injectors." Roland stood in shock, surveying the carnage below. "I meant NOW Roland!"

"Sorry, on it!" He ran over to the controls next to the injector and began working on removing its shield. The rest of us would need to keep the heat off him while he worked or this plan would fall apart.

Jack contacted us again. "Look, please, if you have any heart at all, please don't hurt my baby girl." His voice sounded so sincere, but before we could hesitate, Angel immediately countered his attempt at slowing us.  
"Don't listen to him. He'll just try and guilt you into doing what he wants. Keep fighting!"

We took down loader after loader as the digistruct stations created them. Roland worked steadily, but it seemed that the fight would never end. There was so much dissolved metal and acid on the ground that it was almost as treacherous moving as standing still.

"I've got it! The shields down, go for the injector!" Roland yelled out in triumph. Immediately we all turned and fired on the injector. It was torn to shred in seconds, with a massive round from Zero's rifle cutting straight through the middle, spewing slag out across some of the loaders. Axton's turret destroyed them in seconds, thanks to its missile pods and the bonus damage of the slag.

Roland jumped down and threw out his Scorpio for some extra firepower.

"Glad you could join us!" Axton and Roland stood behind their turrets and rained hell on the loaders.

"I'm just glad you're all still alive. And we even have some new blood! I can't wait to hear his story." Roland nodded to me as he crouched behind his turrets shield and reloaded. I nodded back and turned my attention toward the next injector. Roland caught the message.

Roland began climbing the wall to get to the catwalk for the injector. He was moving as fast as he could, which was pretty quickly. He swung himself up lithely onto the catwalk and ran for the next injectors control system. He worked quicker at this injector, having learned from working on the first.

We fought on, Salvador tearing enemies apart with his new dual corrosive spiniguns. Zero moved like water through the loaders, using his sniper like a shotgun and his katana like a surgeon's knife. No loader stood a chance against his precise striking as he back flipped and dodged. Even as I watched he dropped out his decoy, and slid under a badass loader. As he came back up, he stabbed his katana straight through its A.I. core, destroying the robot instantly.

Deathtrap was tearing into a BUL loader that had tried to flank Gaige and Axton, while the Commando and Mechromancer stood back to back, taking out all and any enemies they could see. Axton's turret was stuck on the wall above them, its missile pods devastating any enemies stupid enough to group up.

Maya was making sure that none of the loaders got near Roland. Picking them up and throwing them into each other in confused heaps, then spraying corrosive rounds from the SMG Moxxi had given her into the group. It was an effective tactic, and she was taking a large toll on the loaders numbers on her own.

I was working a lot like Zero, except with more blasts of energy and less finesse with my kills. I ran toward an Angelic Guard that had digistructed in front of me. I jumped up and over it, Phasepulsing the ground to get more clearance. As I came down behind the loader I reached up under its shoulder joints and fired into its inner workings, the corrosive bullets destroying the electronics like Salvador destroying a pizza.

I wasn't overly worried about looking good while destroying these metal idiots, but I did without trying. I simply wanted them dead in the quickest way possible, but of course, a little fun couldn't hurt. It's always nice to keep the self-esteem up.

"I've nearly got it, just a few more seconds!" Roland was straining to get the shield down on the second injector. Jack must have gotten some engineers to work on countering Roland's hacking. Smart ass must have noticed we were taking out the loaders easy enough, and switched to other tactics.

"I've got it! Shoot the injector!" Again we all turned and fired, but instead I launched a Phasepulse and knocked it out of its housing in a single go. It fell loose, swinging down and mixing the slag that poured out of it with the acid and broken bits of robot that were on the ground. The whole mixture was a pretty messed up creation.

"Alright, finally! Bloody engineers are idiots, so I had to do it myself. Goodbye catwalk! I hope you have a nice time in hell." Jack digitised the catwalks that were allowing Roland to approach the terminals of the Eridium injectors.

"Shit! How am I supposed to reach the last injector?" Roland had fallen back to our level again, and was fighting behind DT as he moved on to a newly spawned WAR loader.

I felt something, energy in the Phase that was rapidly approaching, and I mean really, really quickly. Then, all of a sudden there was a big blast of Phase energy and a Siren appeared in the room, under the last injector.

"You called?" The Siren's wings were pure flame, and she ran over to Roland's Scorpio while he reloaded behind it.

"Lilith! I thought I told you not to come!" He seemed a little angry, but on the whole was pleased to see her.

"Well, I came anyway, so might as well deal with it. What do you need?" She ducked down as a bullet flew over her head.

"Can you get me up to that platform? We need to deactivate the shields around the Eridium injector."

Lilith looked up, checking distances. "Can do. Cover me, I'll teleport you."

Roland nodded and stood back up, firing again and again at the loaders that never ended. I could feel a lot of Phase energy being centred on him, as well as the point Lilith was trying to move him. I understood the connection, but I didn't know how she would get him into the Phase without travelling with him.

Then, in the instant he moved, I saw just how smart Lilith really was. She used herself as a marker for the energy around Roland, and as she entered the Phase with her ability it drew him in as well. In the millisecond they were both in the Phase, she moved the energy around Roland to the other grouping at incredible speeds before exiting, and drawing him out at the same time. It was a work of art, even if you couldn't see all the finer workings of it.

To say the least, I was impressed. This was one powerful Siren, but I could also tell she had used Eridium before to enhance herself, and so whenever any was nearby she could draw upon the phase energy stored within it to make her own abilities more powerful. It didn't make her weaker when there was none nearby; it simply meant that for certain abilities she had to rely on an external supply of energy. This could cause her to become reliant on Eridium, if she did not teach herself only to use it when necessary.

Personally, I had chosen to never use Eridium as a power enhancer. It had caused enough problems in this world, and I never wanted to become reliant on it.

Roland overcame the disorientation and began working on the final injector. Jack had set the digistruct units to create nothing but badasses now, and we were working extremely hard to stop them from firing on him. As well as the loaders, laser turrets were dropping out of the roof above Angel's prison. They were extremely damaging, but were easy to kill. After the initial surprise, we learnt quickly to take them out as soon as they appeared. At that point, they simply became an annoyance instead of an actual threat. Angel was creating ammo on the edge of the platform, giving us a hand in the only way she could.

I had no doubts in my mind about Angel's allegiance anymore. I could feel that when the last injector was cut off, Angel would have no energy to fuel her body. Her dependence had grown so much that the removal of the Eridium from her system would kill her. She had mentioned we would need to destroy her to stop the key from being charged, but I didn't know if the others had truly understood the implications.

She was going to sacrifice herself for us, for the good of everyone on Pandora. This had me thinking about her real motives. Even when the others had told me about her betrayal, I had wondered how much actual choice she had been allowed under Jack's guidance. Had she been given an order to lead them to Wilhelm and the power core, and then left to her own devices? If that was the case then she really did betray them by working the angles all on her own. However, I did not believe that that was how it had happened.

I knew now that Jack was Angel's father, and while he may have mistreated her, abused her power and held her captive her whole life, he would have paid her enough mind to guide her in her task. I believed that Angels work would have been on the very top of his "to do" list, and that he would have been listening in every step of the way.

For the early stages he would have told her exactly what to say, how to act. Then, later he had given her more trust, until the final moment came. But, as the others had said, she had defied every order he had given her after the ascension of Sanctuary. I can guess she had had enough of listening to him. And seeing how he hadn't stopped her from contacting them at all, he mustn't have cared once he had no more use of her.

It was an odd choice for Jack. What else was he concentrating on? Did he need to focus on the Eridium mines enough that Angel was able to organise this whole event? It was a question that may never be answered, and I wouldn't worry about a question I couldn't answer. I preferred to avoid insanity, if I could help it.

"Be ready Raiders! The shield is nearly down." Roland's call brought me back to the present. There were nearly no loaders left now. Maya had one in her personal death grip. Zero had just sliced one in half, and Axton was reclaiming his turret, while DT digitised. Salvador was waiting near the final injector, his guns at the ready.

I ran over beside him. He turned and nodded to me. "Time to finish this, pendejo!"

"It's down! Shoot it Raiders!" Roland cried, triumph in his voice. Everyone unloaded bullet after bullet into the Eridium pump, and it exploded in a shower of purple rain. We all jumped back to avoid the slag. It really was unpleasant stuff to be covered in.

"It's over. It's… finally over." Angel glided down to the edge of the raised platform where the Vault Key sat.

She had an ethereal beauty about her. Someone so pale, so fragile and small had been put through so much. She had suffered her whole life, had been forced to manipulate and lie at the hands of a madman all for a pointless goal. But here, in her last act she had done something that would be remembered. I would make sure of it, no matter what the others said, she would be remembered as a hero.

Jack's sorry voice played out from the speakers. "Angel, come on baby, talk to me!"

Angel breathed lightly, struggling to keep her eyes open. Lilith crouched beside her, tears running down her cheeks.

Angel spoke, quietly, but no one missed a word.

"Dad, I have to tell you something." She paused, breathing again. Would she forgive the man who had held her captive her whole life? What would be her final word to her father?

"You're an asshole."

And she died, a smile on her face.

Maya turned to me, and leant on my shoulder, choking back sobs. I put my arm around her, and held her close. I understood how it felt to lose a battle against the inevitable. You tried so hard, hoping, praying, and then the reality hits you.

Unless you're lucky enough to have a New-U station, death is death. There is no coming back from that, and there are no exceptions.

Roland leaned down and brushed Angels eyes closed. He sighed, holding her face in her palm for a moment, before standing and addressing us all.

"Well, the cost was high, but we did it. We have the Vault Key, and Jack's only way of opening the warrior. Lilith, take the key to Tannis. Vault Hunter, we ar-"

_Crack!_

The shot echoed around the massive room. Roland stood in shock, and looked down at the hole that had appeared in his chest. Blood poured out, and he fell.

"ROLAND!" Lilith screamed his name, and went to run forward to him. Jack stepped forward from behind him. "Jack, you bastard! I'm going to ki-"

Jacks hand flew out from his side, and latched a collar around Lilith's neck, turning her own power against her. She collapsed and I could feel the rippling through the Phase, and its effect sickened me. I could only imagine how Lilith herself must be feeling.

"Ah ah ah, language." Jack yanked Lilith up to her feet, holding her out in front of him. "I still have a Vault key that needs charging, and I have the most powerful Siren on the planet to do it with. Now, Lilith, kill the Vault Hunters."

Lilith's power was being forced against her. The collar had control over the phase in Lilith's body, but she could still control phase in other areas. So instead of killing us all with a Phaseblast from her Phasewalk, she was going to teleport us.

"No!" She cried as Jack raised her arm. I could feel the Phase gathering around us, and then…

Black.

**A/N: So that was that and it was fun to write! Also, you guys know where they were teleported right? If not, sorry about the massive cliff hanger. Again, thanks for reading, and the next chapter will be up soon!**


	6. Rebirth

**A/N: So yeah, here you are. This one is very much character building based, as well as exploring the ways each character personally deals with grief. Also, DO NOT, meaning DON'T, (seriously, no sarcasm) read the next authors note early. Prepare for things to change. ;)**

As we exited the Phase in a dark, cold room, I could hear the others breathing heavily with the shock of the teleportation. Axton switched on a torch at his shoulder, and we all moved slowly towards the light, our cognitive processes reeling from the emotional torture they were being put through. Seeing our haggard faces in the depressing darkness, I wondered how we would recover from this. Roland killed, Angel dead by our own hands, and Lilith captured.

I sighed; my heart was like lead as I tried to get the others to focus. I didn't want to be the one to break the silence, but it had to be done, or we would be found down here, dead from lack of will to live. Screw the dehydration; it wouldn't be as potent as the hopeless sadness that engulfed us all.

"Does anyone know where we are? We should get moving." I looked around at them, but none seemed to notice me. "C'mon guys. We can at least try to-"

I was cut off by an ECHO from someone named Mordecai, and he was as shocked as we were.

"Vault hunters! What the hell just happened? WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?! Get up here. Jack may have killed Roland, but he is NOT going to kill Lilith." He cut off the ECHO, and the others seemed to return to reality.

Axton was the first to speak. "C'mon guys. According to my ECHO's map, we're in Marcus's backroom, where he keeps all his crap. At least we get some free stuff."

With this he turned, searching for a chest or a case where he might find some money or a weapon. The others slowly came back, turning and searching the series of rooms for valuables. Maya still stood in one place, shivering and holding her elbows, tears rolling down her pale cheeks while she stared at the floor. The shock of what had happened still pounding through her ears. The others were moving further away, and the room was getting darker.

I reached out, and, holding her shoulders, began to encourage her to follow the others. "C'mon Maya. We'll be okay. Just try and focus on moving around, and we can go upstairs to Sanctuary."

She responded to my words, and slowly her eyes rose off the ground and met mine. They were full of so much pain, that my heart reached out to her, and I pulled her into a hug. I didn't know why she, strongest in mind of all of us, was having the worst reaction to it all. I supposed she must have had a strong friendship with Lilith or Roland. I held her close, and she began to come alive again. I didn't force her into anything, and let her come back to the present at her own pace.

"I'm, I'm alright Fletch. Thanks." She gave me the faintest ghost of a smile, and we moved after the others. I led her up the stairs, not caring what the others though as we ascended to the door. She needed my help, now more than ever, and I would be there for her no matter what they said or thought.

What I didn't see as I opened the door and light rushed in, was Axton glare after us, anger and hurt in his features.

We looked out into the firing range in Marcus's store. He looked out from behind his counter in confusion. When he recognised the others, he exclaimed in frustration.

"Ah, how the hell did you get back there?! Friggen Vault hunters." He saw all the equipment in our hands and frowned at us again. "Ah heck, robbed me blind!" He saw the looks on our faces then and decided to go back behind his counter, locking the door behind him.

We walked past without a word, and moved through the town toward a large building with a banner hanging and blowing in the breeze. It was encouraging people to join the Crimson Raiders, who I guessed were the rebels that the Vault hunters had been working with. I also saw a poster with Roland, standing tall and holding his rifle. He had been a real hero to the people of Pandora, and they would miss him sorely.

Some of us already did.

I followed the others inside and up the stairs. We rounded the corner at the top of the stairs, and I looked left out the door there. I stopped in shock. I could see for kilometres, the curvature of Pandora noticeable on the horizon.

Maya looked out with me and spoke quietly, "I guess it shows, no matter what happened here tonight, Pandora is still a big planet, and it will pull through this as wild and free as it always was. And yeah, welcome to Sanctuary, our flying city." I looked at her, the way her hair fell across her face, and the way it accented the blues in her eyes. They were red rimmed from the tears, but she smiled up at me. I didn't know where this new found hope had come from, but it was contagious.

"It will pull through, because people like us believe in it," I said, smiling back at her.

We both walked into the sleeping quarters. I could tell which bed was Maya's, simply because it was made and organised. I lay her down, and she fell asleep quickly, exhausted from the emotional ordeal of the day.

I myself had no chance of sleeping, so I went to explore Sanctuary. I moved down past the desks and out the door, feeling the fresh night air fall lightly on my face. It was so good to be free, but the cost was so high that the joy I should have been feeling was overshadowed by sorrow, doubt for the future, and empathy toward my newfound friends.

I walked down the lane, toward the centre of town. It was quiet here, and the stars lit up the town well. As I walked past the New-U station towards a big sign saying Moxxi, I heard it activate. I stopped and looked in through the door to see who would be arriving at this time of night. It was probably one of the Crimson Raiders returning from a mission, and thought it would be good to greet them on their return, and maybe tell them what had happened.

But as more of the traveller began to appear from the machine, my draw dropped and I could barely breathe. I saw the tattoos winding up her leg, the black skin tight suit that came down to her ankles, the black hair falling down to her hips, and the pale skin of her face.

Angel.

The New-U station closed down, and the girl dropped to the floor of the room, unconscious. I ran over to her, calling for someone to come and help. She was breathing normally, and had none of the marks and implants that Jack had put in her for the Eridium. One of the Crimson Raiders ran over, and I told him to go find someone in charge immediately, and tell them to meet me in the HQ as soon as they could.

I picked Angel up off the floor, and began carrying her toward the HQ. She was as light as a feather, and as beautiful too. I carried into the HQ, past Axton, who was sitting at the computer terminal, his head in his hands. As I walked in, he looked up, having a double take at the girl in my arms. He said nothing, staring in shock as he recognised who it was. I met his eyes, and motioned for him to follow me up. Whatever happened now would need to be decided upon by all of us.

We made our way up the stairs. I walked straight through the sleeping quarters to the control room, Zero and Salvador staring in shock, just as Axton had. I looked over and saw an exclamation mark hologram pop up on Zero's visor. I nodded toward Maya, and he moved to wake her. Salvador followed behind Axton, and they stood next to me as I lay Angel down on the table in the centre of the room.

I turned at a noise on the door, and saw Maya walk in and spot Angel. She stopped, and her eyes widened. Zero came up behind her, and moved past, waking her from her trance. Maya walked over to me and continued to stare down at the daughter of our enemy.

I heard someone coming up the stairs, and recognised one of the voices as Mordecai. They were making quite a noise, so I moved to the door. They spotted me, and stared in shock. One was extremely tall, buff and had a massive scar on his right shoulder. It looked as if he had gone toe to toe with a massive beast, and by the man's size, I didn't find it hard to believe he had won. His face was covered in a very fine layer of brown stubble, the same colour as his short hair. He almost completely blocked my view of the man behind.

This man was much smaller and wiry, but carried a sniper on his back that looked at least a third more powerful and heavy than Zero's. He was wearing a mask that covered most of his face as well as goggles that were reflective and tinged with red. He had a long pointy, dark brown beard that stuck out and curved up at the point.

The pair looked at me with suspicion, but Axton came up behind me and spoke quietly, reassuring them, "Its ok guys, I'll explain in a minute. But you need to come and have a look at this first." I stepped back and let the sniper and his meat filled friend pass me into the room.

I moved in after them, and stood next to where Angels head lay, looking around at each of them. I was about to speak, and ask what everyone thought we should do, but as I opened my mouth to speak, Angel stirred.

I immediately leant down and tried to help her wake up, Maya right beside me. Angel groaned quietly, and her eyes fluttered open slowly. She shifted on the table uncomfortably, not recognising where she was.

Maya reached out and touched her shoulder, quietly speaking, and soothing her. "Angel, hey, over here."

Angel responded quickly, and looked at her sister Siren. Recognising Maya, she sat up on the table, and looked around at each of us. When she got to me, she frowned slightly, before remembering who I was.

"Fletcher, right?" I confirmed with a slight nod, and she smiled "You were on one of the watch lists I was given by Jack. I was the one who deactivated your implants when you gained your Siren powers. If I hadn't, well I don't think things would have gone quite as well for the rest of you."

I stared in surprise, as much at my own forgetfulness as her involvement in my life. She had saved me twice now, and once without me even knowing. If she hadn't, I would have been killed as quickly and efficiently as Zero could shoot. I was in her debt, and was determined to pay it, no matter the cost.

"Well," she said, "I guess my death contingency plan worked. I'm alive, I'm in sanctuary and I have a mission."

Her voice trembled with rage at her next words, and her eyes blazed with emotion as she stared into mine.

"I have a father to hunt."

**A/N: Oh my god, right? So yeah, surprise, Angel's alive! It's time for some fun, some cool powers, and other badassery. Also, a shout out to Haycop, SW4G M4N, and others for the support. Next chapter up soon! :D**


	7. Initiation - Part 1

**A/N: So hey and stuff. There's A LOT of sci-fi and talking in this chapter, and if you notice anything that makes no sense, don't hesitate to review or message me about it. Read on!**

* * *

Mordecai was the first to speak, while we took in Angel's words, "How can we trust you? You could still be under Jack's control for all we know."

The mountain of muscle growled in agreement, "Exactly. We can't leave you to walk around without proof that you're really on our side."

Maya leaned over to me, and whispered "That's Brick and Mordecai. They were two of the four original Vault Hunters, like Roland and Lil." I nodded, understanding now. It was pretty easy to work out which name fit with which man.

Angel thought for a minute, and then asked Mordecai quietly, "Do you have any implant or Bio-scanners around here?" He nodded, and she said, "If you go get one, I can prove that there is nothing that Jack can use to make me work for him, and you guys know my personal allegiance lies with you already."

Mordecai went over to a desk in the far corner, and picked up a small contraption that I recognised from the chamber as a Bio-scanner. He returned and activated the device, scanning Angel from her head down. But as he was scanning, Brick said "Hang on, how are supposed to know you aren't fooling the tech with your crazy Siren powers huh? Prove that."

I spoke quickly, "If Angel was using her powers, Maya and I would be able to tell. It's pretty obvious when she does things in the Phase."

Brick nodded, and Mordecai finished the scan.

"Completely clean. Not an implant in you, and a healthy body to go with. You are a bit on the light side, but that's no problem." He reached out and helped her off the table. She moved confidently, any side effects of the first time generation from the New-U station having worn off.

I noticed something different about her power too. When we had been fighting in the control core, her power had been immense, but it felt tainted, overused and seemed to be less pure and free then it did here in Sanctuary. She was completely reborn, and I was glad she had a real chance at the life she had been denied.

I asked her, curiosity in my mind, "So, Angel, just what can you do with your Phaseshift? How much will you be able to help us in combat or in strategy as it may turn out to be?"

She smiled, and spoke clearly. "I can win you the war." She grinned at our reactions, and laughed lightly, "My power is pretty much telekinesis crossed with hacking. This allows me to alter everything in a computers wiring and programming. I can also, when enhanced by enough Eridium, rewire the human brain into seeing what I want it to see," She motioned to the six of us who had been in the Core, "You guys saw this when you found me in my chamber. I guess all this is a little hard to believe, but all throughout the time I was captive, I was thinking of ways that I could destroy any and all Hyperion tech, as well as experimenting with my powers."

Her tattoos glowed, and the holostation activated, the image of a Hyperion gun loader rotating in the view field. "I spent years in there, my only contact with the outside world being with Jack, or ECHO's to Vault Hunters, or even looking through the eyes of cameras and sensors. But I did more to Jack's precious Loaders and Constructors than just watch through their cameras while they were torn apart by bullets and acid."

At this point, she separated the robot into its various parts, discarding the majority and leaving a single one on the screen. It was a long oval shaped casing that had been fitted over a glowing, electric blue cell. "This," she said, "Is what I can use to destroy and army of any type of Loaders in less than a second." I looked at the part, wondering what was so special about it and why it would have been built into the Loaders if it was such a weakness. Angel continued, "Instead of having to use my Phaseshift on the robot as a whole, which requires much more energy, I can access this part singly, and destroy it with minimal effort. I called it the A.I. core intercooler, which is precisely what it does. I developed and suggested it to Jack when I first saw the plans for updated A.I. cores in his files at Hyperion. I told him it increased the robots energy efficiency by 15%, as well as increased the overall speed of the robots calculations by about 10%."

She smiled, "He took the bait like a child takes free candy. He was very pleased by the work I had done, and immediately the plans were submitted to his engineers. Within about 6 months all Hyperion Loaders and constructors in service had the part installed. Only thing he did was have me create one for the constructors too, but that was easy enough." She returned the view of the Loader to full size, and brought up versions of its more advanced models to rotate next to it.

"Did it work?" I asked, impressed, "I mean, did the part increase the efficiency, like you said?"

Angel nodded, "Oh yeah, it worked. If it hadn't Jack would've punished me for lying, and all forms of punishment from him are severe. You never show anything to that lunatic without knowing it works, and works perfectly, first."

Maya frowned, " But how does it work? Not the efficiency part, but the 'allow you to destroy them really, really easy' part."

"I simply move that wire there," Angel said, while she highlighted a particular line on the screen and crossed it over another, "to here, and the A.I. short circuits, causing a catastrophic systems failure and deactivating the robot permanently."

We were all pretty impressed, to say the least. Angel had planned for her eventual escape well, and seemed so excited about being able to help us.

Axton motioned around the room, and asked, "Well, if you can do that sort of thing easy as hell, what can you do to improve equipment? What modifications could you make to our tech to make it more efficient?"

Angel nodded, "I thought you might be the one to ask that." She motioned to the holostation, "As you can see, activating and controlling things is as natural to me as talking. Off the top of my head, I could improve you power efficiency, increase the computing speeds as well as the range of any communications, and," She motioned to Axton and Gaige, "add the same to your turret and Gaige's Deathtrap." Axton's eyebrows raised in scepticism. It seemed a pretty big ask, but Angel was a Siren, and he had yet to learn just how much power we really had.

"Don't believe me, huh?" She turned to Mordecai, "So, should I upgrade the computers now, or, wait till question time is over? It will only take five seconds."

Mordecai was a little surprised at her eagerness, "Ah, sure, go ahead I guess."

I felt Angel reach out in the phase, the power moving throughout the room. Focusing it in little groups here and there, and after she had covered everything, I felt it dissipate again. Her efficiency was impressive, and Maya and I exchanged a look of wonder. _If she has this kind of control without Eridium, it's no wonder she was able to do so much with it in the Control Core._ I looked forward to discussing it with her in more detail.

"Done," she said, "Axton, Gaige, I can do those upgrades for you now, if you want. I'll be able to edit everything through your digistruct modules."

Gaige was curious it seemed, and she asked, "Just how much better will you make DT? I want to know, because it will make a big difference to what I can do with him." Axton nodded. The information would make a big difference to their effectiveness in combat.

Angel replied without hesitating, and I marvelled at the mathematical ability of her mind. "DT will be out about 17% faster, give or take a few seconds, and will be able to remain out for about 12% longer, too." She turned to Axton, "Your turret will digistruct quicker by 19%, regenerate quicker by around 16%, have a 14% larger ammo capacity and the fire rate will be up by 100 rounds a minute," She shrugged, "but I could add more specific things if you guys want."

Axton whistled, and Gaige's jaw dropped, "Wha-Bu- Seriously? That's AWESOME! Do it, do it do it do it!" The girl jumped up and down in excitement. She really did love that robot.

Again, Angel concentrated for a few seconds, focusing Phase around Gaige's mechanical limb, where the young Mechromancer had installed the digistruct unit for DT. Gaige had built the metal contraption as one of her first creations, then amputated her own arm to attach the robotic add-on. The insane engineer was extremely dedicated to her craft, and would be ever so happy to have an improvement as potent as this for free. I'm sure she would be studying every little detail of the piece of hardware to see what Angel had done when this was over.

Angel, keeping her power ready, but not using it without permission, turned and gave Axton a questioning look. He didn't hesitate, and nodded his consent. While the Dahl Sabre turret was a pretty awesome piece of battle hardware on its own, the improvements that Angel would be making would make it a much more potent force in any fight. The whole thing was done in a few seconds.

"Oh yeah, I almost totally forgot," Angel turned to Zero, and said, "I can improve your hologram and cloaking tech too. Mostly just the length and quality of you cloak, as well as the realism of the hologram. Later, if you want, I could spend a few minutes on developing it an A.I., so it could act just like you would in a fight." Zero, his face unreadable, nodded and Angel finished her work quickly.

Thanks to this prodigy of a Siren, our effectiveness in combat had been dramatically increased, the HQ was running at insane speeds, and we were all pretty excited about it. I guess all we really had to do now was see whether she would be any good in an actual combat situation. I hoped she would be able to handle herself, or a lot of her potential would go to waste. The possibilities were immense, and not just for taking out Loaders. Any doors that need to be opened, hacking Hyperion data terminals, and having an extra gun in the group couldn't hurt either.

Mordecai sighed and said, "All this is great, but are you gonna be a liability out there? Or can we trust you with our backs in a fight? I, and I'm sure everyone else in this room, needs to know if you can handle yourself. If not, then you will have to stay here, and I feel that that's going to be a waste of a lot of talent."

The rest of us nodded. Mordecai had hit the nail on the head. At the moment, we worked together flawlessly, and we did not need an unexperienced girl out there to protect.

Angel seemed nervous, "Well, I have been watching all of you do it for over 5 years now, so I've picked up a thing or to."

Salvador grinned and laughed, "Well, senorita, I think we'll be the judge of that."

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was an all talk one, but the next will be some cool Angel combat action. Thanks for reading, and next chapter up soon!**

**~Terrorbyte~**


	8. Unwelcome Memories

**A/N: So yeah, this one is filling a little gap before I start the longer combat based part of Initiation. Read on.**

* * *

I sat on the ledge, overlooking the highlands below. The Pandoran night was beautiful, and because of the short moonlight cycles, we could see it twice a day before we had to sleep. A full cycle was usually a little longer than 12 hours, so it was fairly easy to adjust. This meant we could enjoy the more peaceful side of Pandora more often than we would on Earth.

I watched some clouds pass below Sanctuary and saw the shadows that the faint moonlight cast on the ground even further down. Being so high, we were safe from any possible ground assault by Bandits or Jack's troops, but the Hyperion moon base still floated menacingly, watching over the entire continent. We all knew that without a shield, Sanctuary was defenceless against a moon shot blitz. However, Mordecai didn't think Jack would launch one, and I agreed. Jack wanted to kill us himself, not from a distance with his obvious resource superiority.

Angel sat down beside me. "It's a pretty nice view, hey?"

I nodded, glancing across at her. Her black hair was long and she let it fall freely down her back. She was lightly built, but because of her Siren power, would be stronger than most people her age. She loved the attention when she walked into a room, loved the feeling of being noticed and appreciated. She was probably my age, if not a bit older, but at least she would know her birthday.

She turned to me, studying my face carefully for my reaction, "So, just curious, you don't remember anything from before the chamber?"

I shook my head, and leaned back, looking up at the stars. "Nothing, in fact, I can barely remember first arriving there. My earliest memory is waking up in my cell, sore as hell all over, with the screams from the chamber down the hall bouncing through the corridors."

Angel's mouth made a small 'o'. She looked away and said, "I'm sorry."

I looked across at her, "Don't be. It was no fault of yours I forgot who I was." I sighed, "I'm not sure if remembering would've been a help anyway."

She looked up and smiled, "Well, at least you can truly start over now."

"Makes two of us," I said, smiling back.

She turned back to the view, and studied the ground far below, "I can remember most of my life with Jack, and what I can't I found in old records in the data network. When I was born, Jack and my mother, Vanessa, were much lower down in the Hyperion rankings. I grew up in a regular home, which, I suppose, you wouldn't really know about. But, something happened when I was probably eight or nine."

Her eyes glazed over and she stared out into the night. "I think something had happened at work and Jack, or John as everyone called him back then, came home late, drunk and angry. My mother had been worrying all night, but when he yelled at her, she grew defensive and started yelling back. It was a mistake, and he went to hit her. She recoiled, and bounced against a bench. Unbalanced, she then fell forward into him, pushing him over easily. He cried out in pain as his head hit the floor, and my mother began to back away, but he reached out and grabbed her ankle."

A single tear dropped from her bright, sky blue eyes. "John pulled himself up off the floor, and growled like a rabid animal. I was crying, and he turned to me, threatening to strike me. Vanessa cried out, and he spun back to her, shoved her to the floor and reached out to the bench."

Angel's voice had dropped to a whisper, but I didn't miss a single word. I didn't let myself.

"Mum had been cooking a roast that night, and the electric knife was still on the bench. He picked it up, and turned it on. I became so scared and angry that my Siren powers kicked in. I used the Phase to cause the motor inside to go haywire, and explode. Jack swore, and dropped the knife, blood dripping from his hand. I was in immeasurable pain as the Phase rushed through me, but as I collapsed to the floor, I saw my mother's hand drop, and blood pool out with it."

She shuddered, "I woke up in my room, stuck there, with no way of communicating. Then, after being cut off for a few years while Jack built up power, he moved me to the Control Core. I was there, alone for six months before he had me contact Roland and the others outside Fyrestone."

Angel sniffed and wiped her eyes, "I didn't lose hope though. I studied everything about Hyperion tech, and I know it all inside out now. I was able to place a copy of myself into the New-U station here in Sanctuary when the others put in the modified power core. As well as that, you know about my sabotage of all the A.I. cores."

I sat quietly, listening to her as she finished. I knew she hadn't had someone to talk to for her entire life, so I was glad to fill the gap.

"And well, here I am." She scoffed, "I may not have arrived to see the Crimson Raiders at their peaks, but at least I can help."

I reached out, and put my hand over hers. "I think your life story trumped mine by a long shot."

She chuckled, "Thanks, Fletch."

We sat like that for a minute, enjoying the peace and quiet, before Angel got up and kissed my cheek. She walked away, back into the HQ.

I smiled to myself_. What a girl_, I thought, and followed her back to the bunks for a well-deserved night's sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Well, that is the shortest chapter yet, but it's heavy on the emotion and love triangle developing goodness. Unfortunately, I may not have Initiation – Part 2 up till Monday, because I'm a little separated from society over the weekend. But hang in there, and I'll make it one to enjoy.**

**~Terrorbyte~**


	9. Initiation - Part 2

**A/N: I think this should easily make up for all the talk in the last two chapters, and it's also a new longest. Enjoy.  
(OR will stand for Operations Room after its first mention. The OR is the room with all the computers and the holostation)**

* * *

I woke up the next morning in the bunk room of the HQ. Salvador was still snoring on the bunk next to me and I saw no one else in the room. I got up, and made my way into the operations room and saw Maya sitting at one of the computer terminals, reading something on the screen. She hadn't heard me enter, so I walked over behind her and waited for her to notice me.

I read the page over her shoulder. It had to do with research on the way Sirens were created and talked about the possible reasons behind their existence as well as their powers. It said that "Only six Sirens can exist at any one time in the universe at the moment, but we believe this may have changed in the recent past. With the Sirens that have been helping us study the Phase we have discovered that there are many possibilities to the harnessing of the limitless energy.

"It is also plausible that the Sirens are able to become an entirely separate species. However, this would mean that the powers would be repeated multiple times, or they would vary incredibly. This is an important point, but less vital than a male Siren. If one were created, the combination of his genes with the female Siren would mean the offspring would be certain to have Siren powers, equal or greater in strength to the parents. There is also a rare possibility of the child having both of the parents abilities; however it is more likely they will have only one or the other."

Maya sighed and turned around, jumping when she saw me standing behind her. She laughed lightly when she recognised me, and said, "Seriously Fletcher, don't scare me like that."

I gestured at the screen, "Sorry, I didn't say anything because I was reading too. Some pretty interesting stuff."

She nodded and replied, "Yeah, I know. I was trying to see if there were any more findings on our origins, not just our futures. So far, I've been pretty unsuccessful."

"Well, tell me what you know about us in general, and then tell me what you think you know."

She frowned, "It's a pretty big topic, I'm not sure if we have time."

I shrugged, "Summarise."

She nodded, "Well here goes nothing.

"Sirens use an inexhaustible energy known as the Phase to fuel their powers and enhance their own abilities. We are stronger and faster, heal much quicker, have better eyesight and hearing and are able to use supernatural abilities in six known different ways, each unique to the Siren using it.

"The information on what these abilities do is pretty in-depth, but I'll give you the basics. You already know about Phasepulse, shift, and lock and have seen Lilith's Phasewalk. Lilith's power allows her to move her true dimension body into the phase for a short period of time. She causes a bit of a blast every time she exits the Phase, as she is able to bring the Phase energy back with her.

"The other two are Phasefade and Phaseread. Phasefade allows its user to turn completely invisible and silent, making them impossible to spot, even with high-tech sensors. It's different to Phasewalk, as the Phasefade user is completely undetectable even to other Sirens. You can guess that this would be extremely useful for infiltration or assassination. I know Zero would do anything for it.

"Phaseread is what Lilith thinks Commander Steele had. It allows its user to read and hear the thoughts of the people around them, and does not need the bending of any Phase power to be used. This means that you never know when the Siren responsible is actually using their power. Luckily, the user is also able to choose the target of the Phaseread, so you wouldn't catch hundreds of unnecessary thoughts. I could imagine that coming in handy if you were hanging around someone like Salvador."

I chuckled at that. The crazy Gunzerker had the dirtiest mind in the entire town, and was famous for his incredible ability to turn any comment into a horridly repulsive innuendo. At least Moxxi's weren't gross, just sexy, but Salvador's would make a Bandit wince.

"So, how many Sirens are alive now?" I asked.

Maya shrugged, "All I know is it used to be a maximum of six. Seeing as we have all been created in the heat of a dire need, I suppose that the need for more Sirens could also bring the possibility of more at one time."

"So, you don't know if another Siren somewhere in the universe died at the moment I gained my power?"

Maya shook her head, "I have no idea. I would hope not, and I also think so too, considering it didn't come naturally to you, even though you are able to use it just the same as us. I suppose, now that you have your power, there's no more limit to the number of Sirens. Just like the article said, we could become an entire race, if things work out. But seeing whether Siren children are born with or without their power will be an interesting point."

I changed the subject; children were not something I wanted going to think about for a very long time. Especially since I wasn't even sure whose children they would be. "So," I said, "Have any scientists been able to work out how to use Phase as an energy source?"

"Nope, none have even gotten close. What they do know, is that Eridium is a stored version of Phase energy, and that the Eridian race were able to harness it, somehow, and for more than just weaponry. But so far, reverse engineering attempts have been unsuccessful."

I nodded, and wondered what exactly 'unsuccessful' meant in this case. I stood up off of the edge of the holostation and stretched.

"I'm going to head down to Moxxi's for some breakfast," I said, "You want to come, or…?"

Maya shook her head and turned back to the computer, "No, I've already eaten, and there's more research I want to check out. I'll see you later though."

"Alright, c'ya then Maya."

I went downstairs, passing the insane scientist Tannis, who was sitting in the desk chair, mumbling something about ceiling chairs. I ignored her, and made my way over to Moxxi's bar. I could hear sniper fire over near the old gate into the city, and decided I would check it out when I had finished breakfast.

I walked into the building, and saw Axton sitting behind the bar eating a cooked breakfast of several meats and a white and yellow piece of something else, talking the bartender. I assumed the bartender, a woman in a skimpy outfit and top-hat, was the infamous Moxxi.

She turned and looked me up and down as I walked over to the bar. "Well howdy sugar, I'm Moxxi. The proud owner of the wonderful utterly destroyed Underdome. What can I get ya, honey?"

I sat down next to Axton, and he said to Moxxi, "Get the kid some breakfast, on me. He has quite a story, and I'm sure some real bacon will be an eye opener."

Moxxi scoffed, and she raised an eyebrow. "I think I noticed, mister commando. It's not every day you see a male Siren walk into a bar." She turned back to me, and gave me a wink, "Though I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere, I wish it was every day. One bacon and egg breakfast, coming up."

As Moxxi went out a back door to where I assumed was the food, Axton turned from his meal and said, "She's an odd one that one, but she always means well. If we didn't have this bar, I would wonder how well our morale would hold up."

Moxxi returned with a plate of steaming food and some cutlery, "Here," She said, "enjoy it sugar. It's on the house." I began eating the mysterious, amazing smelling food, and found it was very, very tasty.

Moxxi saw the look on my face as I began to eat the food as quick as I could, and laughed, "Don't hold back sugar, I'll get some more ready. By the look on your face, you haven't had a proper breakfast in too long."

She left again, and I kept eating. The bacon tasted amazing, not too salty, nice and crunchy on the edges, and not too oily. When eaten at the same time with the eggs, it tasted even better, and soon it was all I was doing. Then I tried the larger chunk of meat that Axton told me was called steak. It was thick, not chewy or too soft, and full of flavour. Cooked most of the way through, but still with a bit of char on the sides; I immediately favoured it over the bacon.

I finished off the plate pretty quickly, and sat back in the chair while I waited for Moxxi to return with my next serving. I glanced over at Axton, and saw he had finished his and was sitting sipping at a wonderfully aromatic drink.

He saw my eyes on the mug, and called out, laughing, "Get the kid a coffee too Moxxi!" He smiled at me, "So, I guess this is a pretty good introduction to real breakfast. Moxxi makes some mean breakfast," He sipped at the hot drink and sighed in satisfaction, "Nothing better in the morning than a hot, good coffee."

Moxxi came out again, with more bacon and eggs and a mug full of the rich brown drink I now knew was coffee. She winked at me, "Enjoy sugar. Everyone deserves good food, no matter where they came from."

I hooked in to the meal again, and as I finished a mouthful, took a sip of my coffee. It was perfect, the flavour strong and sweet at the same time. It was warm and invigorating. I savoured it as I finished eating, and then leant back in my chair, enjoying the feel of the meal sitting in my stomach.

Axton and I chatted about inconsequential things for a while we finished our food. Then, he stood and said, "Well, while we're sitting here talking, there's work to be done," His mood shifted, and he seemed more solemn, "Not to mention we still have to find out where Jack and Lilith are. I'm pretty sure Brick had something he wanted checked out, so I think I might go hit him up for it. Catch ya later, Fletch." He walked out, yelling a goodbye to Moxxi. I saw him walk down the street and around the corner to the HQ.

Moxxi leaned on the bar, presenting me with an obviously intended view of a more mature subject matter. "So, it's Fletcher right?" I nodded, and she continued, "I thought so. It's been an interesting few days, don't ya think?" She sighed, and her mood became solemn just as Axton's had been, "First we lose Roland, and Lil is captured, then you turn up with the others. And now Angel is back and seems determined to fight with us."

"She isn't just some girl to be hidden away in the corner Moxxi. She wants to fight, and I don't think any of us have the right to stop her." I understood Moxxi's wish to protect the Angel, but even though I could sympathise, I would defend Angel's choice to help us in the field. She deserved revenge just as much as we did.

"Oh, I know that sugar," She said, "I'm just not sure of the wisdom in letting her risk her life so soon after getting it back. How do we know if she'll be able to be recreated at a New-U again? And why wasn't Roland?"

I shrugged, "I don't know Moxxi. It might have something to do with being in the control core, or being killed in the presence of Jack, but I know that what has happened is irreversible, and we need to fight on anyway." Is stood up from the bar, and thanked her for the meal.

"Anytime sweetie. Come on back if you ever need someone to talk to." She waved as I left, and I decided I might take up on that offer, sometime.

Making my way over to where I could hear the sniper rifle fire, I saw Angel and Mordecai up on Sanctuary's wall. They had gotten someone to build a ladder into the wall, and Angel was firing out across the town. I waved up to them, and she stopped while I walked out and began to climb the ladder.

I reached the top and stood back and observed as Mordecai stood behind Angel, watching as she lined up her shot. He had painted a small red target on a sign on the other side of Sanctuary's walls. She fired and he told her it was good, handing her another magazine, and she reloaded. The tall sniper walked over to me and told me about how she had done.

He said that he wouldn't be expecting her to hit the centre straight up. However, to be considered an adequate shot in his eyes, she had to be able to hit a dinner plate ring around it, without taking more than 15 seconds max between shots. So far, she had done well, as she was able to get an average of a ring well below that, as well as firing at a rate that Mordecai seemed pleased with.

"She's doing alright," He said, while we stood back out of ear shot and watched her put round after round into the target, "Well, alright for a teenage girl who's using a gun almost a third of her weight."

I watched as the last round from the mag launched from the barrel, slamming solidly just to the right of the bullseye. Then Mordecai, obviously wanting to show off a little, stood next to her, raised his own massive gun in one smooth movement, and fired. The bullet moved at almost twice the speed of Angel's, and the recoil was obviously many times higher. It hit the bullseye dead centre, and cracked the sign straight through. Angel's jaw dropped and she stared in awe at the snipers deadly accuracy. Mordecai laughed, "Alright, enough for today. Unload it and bring it back to the HQ. You might be as good as me eventually. Just practice all day, every day for about 20 years."

Angel knocked Mordecai on the shoulder, "I wouldn't want to be a sniper anyway Mordy. Standing there and firing only when the moment is right would be way to boring. Give me an SMG or an assault rifle any day."

Mordecai scoffed, "No-one ever understands." We climbed down the ladder and made our way back to the HQ. As we walked through the front door, he called out to Maya, "Your turn, crazy lady. I've done my job."

Maya walked down the stairs in her regular combat clothes, carrying to simple Dahl SMG's. "Well, so I guess it's time to see how you fair in a fight with a weapon that's actually useful," she said, and I heard Mordecai scoff from around the corner and call out, "Don't listen to her Angel, she'll brainwash you into the arms of death!"

Maya chuckled, "Come on, we'll head back out to courtyard near the gate."

We left and made our way back to the courtyard. Maya handed the SMG to Angel and showed her the different parts, as well as the proper technique for reloading the bullpup weapon.

"This is a Dahl, as you can see, so it has massive amounts of recoil reduction. Whenever you're in a good firing position, and could use smooth, fast fire, hit this button with your thumb," She showed Angel the small red switch on the side, "and the gun will automatically up the recoil reduction, fire rate and fire in three or four round bursts."

Angel nodded and held the SMG toward the ground, resting the stock of the gun in her elbow "Is there any point in not holding the button all the time?"

Maya thought for a moment, "You tell me," She said. Maya was testing Angel's ability to reason out an action on her own, and learn without having to be taught.

We had arrived at the courtyard when Angel replied, "It really depends on the strength of the gun."

"Why?" I put in. I thought I might step up and help with this one. It was probably going to be the most important part of our teaching her how to survive in combat.

Angel turned and fired a burst across the courtyard, holding the gun steady in her hands. She lowered the gun and said, "A burst like that would waste ammo if you aren't steady. Running around, you would not want to have steady bursts, as the enemy would be able to time their attacks and movements and avoid any damage."

Angel held the gun out with one hand, and I felt her drawing on the Phase for the extra strength she needed to hold the gun up. "You obviously wouldn't use it if you needed mobility and speed, but it is a real bonus for a well maintained position in cover."

She turned back to us, giving a quizzical look. Maya and I nodded, and Maya said, "Good. Now to test how you go when under fire."

She motioned around the courtyard, and said to Angel, "Neither of you would be able to tell the difference, but I had some of the Crimson Raiders place some extra obstacles around here just for us."

I surveyed the set up that Maya had organised. Around the area had been placed scrap parts, rubble and other debris, all stacked up to be useable as cover. Not only that, but the way the walls around the courtyard were positioned formed a rather well equipped training ground. I saw plenty of places where different strategies would be needed to take or hold a position effectively. Of course, that was if you didn't have a Siren power that gave you incredible mobility and diversity in combat.

The area was perfectly suited to my Phasepulse. I would be able to cross from one side of the arena to the other, almost without touching the ground. I would try to not destroy all the cover as I launched myself around, but it might end up a futile attempt. Each time I used it to leap across the battlefield; I had to cause a large blast in all directions from where I leapt from. I could try to use the walls as much as possible, but that might not be too good for them.

Maya turned to us, "You two will be the first to use it, so try not to break it. Fletch, I mean it, be careful with those bloody pulses of yours. You can both use your abilities as much as you want, so be smart and think on your feet."

She smiled at Angel, "I have a feeling I won't need to tell Fletch to stop when your shield is low, because it won't be, but when you see his reach a certain point around fifteen per cent, stop and yell out. I'll call him off then, and you guys can take a break, think of your strategy and learn from any mistakes."

Maya turned back to the arena, "You'll each be starting at separate ends, and the fight will continue until I say it stops. Now, Angel, you go left and wait behind the busted car. Fletcher, you head over to the pile of debris on the right. Have your weapons ready, and I'll count you in."

Angel and I moved to the positions that Maya had specified, and waited for her signal. As soon as the command came over the ECHO I leapt out from behind cover, and launched myself off the ground with a Phasepulse. I had at least 3 metres clearance over the arena, and had flown straight across to Angels starting cover. I landed a few metres short, and rolled to cushion the impact, before sliding in behind it. She would have heard my blast and known I had moved, but if I was lucky she wouldn't know exactly where to. I tried to sense just where she was, and I could feel a lot of power being shifted somewhere on my right.

I slowly peered around the corner, and caught a glimpse of flaming white wings disappearing behind a section of concrete. Knowing where Angel was, I launched myself straight over the top of her cover, and landed right in front of her. She raised her gun and hit me with a full burst right in the chest, knocking me back a little. I sent a Phasepulse at the ground in front of her, and it shoved her backwards, giving me time to raise my gun and fire.

I had set my pistol to fire two round bursts at all times, and the extra modification was helpful now, allowing me to put more rounds into her than I would have otherwise. She swore, and jumped back around the corner into cover. I decided I would wait and see just what she would do. I dived to my left, behind a much taller pie of scrap parts and metal, and readied myself and my power. I wanted her to know I could handle whatever she decided to try, so I stood vigilantly and waited.

Angel ran out around the left and fired, and I felt two or three rounds of the burst hit my shield, before I let the Phasepulse loose. Just before it collided with her and threw her back, she rotated back behind cover and I swore. That Pulse could have won me the fight. I ran after her and turned the corner gun raised, waiting for a sign of movement.

I didn't have to wait long. Just as I began to think that she had run off to another section of the arena, she leapt off the top of the very cover I was next to and onto my shoulders. I swore with the surprise and felt her use the Phase to give her more strength as she twisted and kicked me into the rubble and jump for safety.

I fell to the ground, but as I went to launch myself up, I felt the barrel of her SMG press against my head.

I couldn't see the smile, but I knew it was there. "Game over, Fletch." Angel said.

I barely held back a grin, as I said, "Oh really, I thought we had to wait till Maya called it." And I let loose a tiny Phasepulse straight at Angel's feet. She cried out, and fell to the ground heavily, dropping her gun. I used the Phase to give me the speed to backflip, sailing over her and landing a few meters back. I sprinted forward and pinned her to the ground, holding her still as she struggled and cursed.

I heard Maya's voice on the ECHO, "Alright Fletcher, let her up. Nicely done both of you. Come on back and we can talk about how it went." I stood up and held my hand out. Angel rolled over and reached out, and I pulled her up to her feet.

"That was not cool Fletch. Really not cool." She seemed annoyed at me, but I decided that if I hadn't have been as sneaky as I was, she would've won. I bet she knew it too.

"Hey, you were definitely good enough to be able to survive out in the real world. I have no doubt you'll be coming with us when we head out on missions."

She glanced across at me smiling. "Oh, I know. In case you didn't realise, sneaky boy, I only used my power to enhance my speed. I would've wiped out your shield, or the burst tech in your gun, or even taken out your ECHO. But I didn't because while I knew I would lose, I preferred not to kill you."

I nodded. I had thought a fair bit about the multitude of uses her power would have in a combat situation, and this was another time when I had underestimated just how much she had to hold back if we were training.

We walked up the stairs and were greeted to a reception of Maya and some of the other Crimson Raiders applause. We smiled, and moved over to stand next to Maya.

"Alright guys, shows over!" Maya called to the Raiders, "Head back to your posts, that's it for today."

They separated and left and Maya turned back to us with a smile on her face. "Well, that was impressive. I thought you guys might actually have gone all out, but I heard what Angel had said about holding back with her power. There was a lot of potential opportunities for some real damage in there, but you didn't take them for safety reasons, which shows that you can keep a level head in combat, and that's important."

She motioned to the battlefield, "Unfortunately for you, Angel, this place is perfectly suited to Fletcher's ability, however, you combated it very well with that use of cover near the end there. I've noticed he tends to forget that people actually do fight smart instead of hard, sometimes."

I shrugged, and said, "It was a heat of the moment thing. But yeah, I may have been a little overconfident."

Angel snorted, "A little? My ass." She said.

We laughed and Maya spoke to me, "Fletch, your mobility is impressive, but you seemed to hold back. If it was to take it easy on her, there was really no need. We needed to see how well she fought under real pressure, but I can understand why you decided to wait for her to come to you. You wanted to see just how smart she could play it, and she played smarter than you," she smiled though, and said, "But only for a little while."

Maya turned back to Angel and raised an eyebrow, "I guess that you forgot about the fact that it wasn't over till I said. He took that opportunity too easily, Angel, and you have to remember that you cannot stop until you're sure your enemy is defeated."

Angel nodded and said, "I didn't believe he would try after I had beaten him like that."

Maya shrugged, "Thing about it is you hadn't beaten him. He was still able to move freely and take you down without too much effort. However, when he gained the upper hand, he moved forward and took the opportunity immediately, which meant his victory. You did well, but it could have been better, both of you."

We nodded. Maya was right as usual, and I made sure I would take her advice to heart; it might be what saves me in the future.

Angel began to say something, but was cut off as Zero walked up to us.

"Follow me my friends/ Mordecai requires us/ We must go quickly."

He turned around and walked off briskly, Maya following. Angel and I exchanged a look, and I shrugged. I started off after the others, and Angel followed.

I caught up to Zero, and asked, "So, any idea what the plan is?" Zero shook his head, and a set of triple dots appeared on his visor.

We walked through the door into the HQ, and walked up the stairs. Tannis wasn't downstairs, so I supposed she had something to say in the meeting. I wondered what sort of ideas the insane genius would have to add to the conversation.

As we walked through the door into the OR I saw all the Vault Hunters, some of the high-ranking Crimson Raiders and Tannis, all standing around the room, watching a revolving image of the Hyperion Moonbase on the holostation. Mordecai was working the controls and looked up when we walked in.

"Ah, good you're here. We can finally get started." He stood back and waved toward the image.

"We got to things we need to do. Find Jack and Lilith, then Kill Jack and Save Lilith. I have a plan to do just that, and gain some real ground in the war on Hyperion. If we pull this off, Jack won't stand a chance, and Hyperion's influence on Pandora will fall."

He leaned in to the holostation, and looked around at each of us,

"We're going to steal Jack's Moonbase."

* * *

**A/N: So I hope everyone enjoyed that, because I have a lot of assignment work and other things to get into over the next few days. I'll do my best to get the next chapter up, so hang in there, and thanks for reading!**


	10. Grand Theft Auto

**A/N: Yeah, I should be working on an assignment, but it's boring as hell. So, I thought I would get onto the next chapter. This one's pretty small, and I'm really tired, so any mistakes you notice please review or PM me about. But first, a bit of clarification on my definition of the Phase.**

**The Phase is a dimension separate to ours, which is a swirling maelstrom of energy, useable by Sirens. It can be entered by Sirens that have the Phasewalk ability, and manipulated by all Sirens. Each Siren can use it to enhance their speed, strength etc., but each can only use the Phase to modify the true dimension (ours) in one out of six ways, which were explained in the previous chapter. A true dimension form of Phase energy is stored within Eridium. Sirens can tap this energy, which is very highly concentrated, and use it to greatly increase the strength of their abilities. When the Eridium is refined, its by-product is slag. Slag is a substance that majorly increases the effects of any energy that it comes in contact with.**

**Basia Orci: That's a pretty interesting idea, but I'm not sure about it. I asked some of my other readers in person, and they seemed pretty opposed to it. I'll keep it in mind, but I think I'll stick to the good old, 'unknown past' idea, as I feel like your plan would cause a lot of problems in his connection to other characters, and that's not something I really want in the story. You'll see why in a few chapters time**

**Thanks for reading all this, and if you didn't, it shouldn't make a difference.**

**Here we go.**

* * *

We waited silently among the rocks looking out over the Hyperion spaceport. It was busy, even during the dark cycle, with the massive interstellar shuttles arriving every hour, and the smaller planetary versions twice as often. It was an elaborate compound, with 3 metre high walls, constant patrols, and was covered in digistruct stations that would supply robotic reinforcements at a moment's notice. Hyperion staff were moving all throughout the area, alert and ready for anything. But, if we played our cards right, they wouldn't know we had been here until it was much too late.

Mordecai, who was lying next to me behind the rocks, pointed and said, "There, bottom right corner docking station. The shuttle that just landed in that dock is just what we need. We have to move now or we might miss out."

I nodded, and connected to Zero's ECHO, "Move out, South East corner. We'll keep you covered as far as the south walls shadow, but from there you're on your own"

He didn't reply, and I didn't expect him too. If things went to plan, he would need to move in utter silence to reach the shuttle, board it, kill everyone on board, and then begin a flight to Sanctuary. As soon as control of the vehicle was established, Angel would hack its programming and cause it to broadcast that it was heading out to Opportunity, which meant the shuttle would have to pass Sanctuary, and it wouldn't be pursued by any Hyperion fighters.

Mordecai and I watched with bated breath for any sign the assassin had been discovered. If an alarm was raised the sniper would provide support while I met up with Zero, and we took the shuttle by force.

We had chosen Zero for this assignment because of his holographic image that had been modified to appear like a Hyperion soldier, as well as his amazing ability to infiltrate and hold an area in silence. Also, Angel had said she could use him as a reference point for her power, and from him hack the shuttle, so his role was an obvious choice.

Angel sat behind us in a meditative position and kept her power ready. I could barely notice it across the massive distance, but I sensed the aura of power that surrounded Zero, keeping the hologram active and making sure he would appear as he was supposed to to any sensors. Angel had finer control over her powers than Maya or I ever had a hope of, and it was vital she remain undistracted, or the mission would be a failure.

I felt the concentrated energy move throughout the shuttles door, and then through the bowls of the ship toward the bridge. It stopped now and then, and I assumed Zero was dealing with the people in the ship. Once he reached the bridge and Angel was able to gain control, he would clear out the rest of the ship, and be waiting for its arrival at Sanctuary.

He reached the far end of the vessel, and I sensed Angel's power move across to the ship, activating it and broadcasting the required information. We had no knowledge of what Zero was doing anymore, and had to hope he was alright. The ship's take off engines started and it lifted off the ground smoothly. Angel's piloting skills were impressive, and as the landing gear rose up into the ship, it launched out toward Sanctuary.

I sighed in relief and smiled. Everything had gone perfectly, and now, as we waited for Angel to give the all clear, Mordecai and I slowly slid back from the edge, being careful we weren't seen. We made our way over to Angel and waited for her to return her attention to what was around us. Her wings faded, her tattoos returned to normal and her eyes flickered open, and she stretched out from her meditative form.

She stood up slowly, and turned to us, smiling tiredly. "Keeping up that sort of concentration is a lot harder without Eridium. The ship is on its way to dock at Sanctuary's gate, literally, and we will arrive in time to head up to the Moonbase with the others."

I motioned to the runner we had camouflaged behind a large outcropping. "Well, we wouldn't want to be late, would we?"

Mordecai was already climbing into the turret seat, so I climbed into the drivers. It wasn't hard to get the hang of handling these things, and I had driven most of the way out to the station with Angel on my lap.

She climbed in behind me, and got comfortable as she could in the confined space. I had to say, it had been an experience to remember, driving a few hundred kilometres with the most beautiful girl you know on your lap. I started the car, and moved off at a snail's pace, to avoid stirring up any dust, as well as create minimal noise.

When had made it a hundred metres out, I began to accelerate slowly until we were far enough that we wouldn't be heard. Mordecai called out that he was going to have a sleep, and Angel and I stayed fairly quiet. Not that it mattered too much with the noise from the engine, but no one ever wanted to wake the drunken sniper unless he knew about it before he slept.

We sped across the vast, flat desert for an hour before Angel decided to talk, instead of falling asleep.

"Do you think we can win?" Angel said, as she looked up at the star filled Pandoran sky.

"I do." I said, "At least, I hope we do. We have such a chance, even though I'm not sure we need to risk so much on this mission, I believe that Hyperion will fall, we will save Lilith, and more importantly, stop Jack from controlling the Warrior."

She leaned her head on my shoulder, and said, "Well no matter what else happens, as long as I'm with you, I'll be okay."

I moved one of my hands from the steering wheel and stroked her hair, but I felt wrong somehow. I knew Maya wanted me just as much as Angel did, but had never had much of an opportunity to show it. I hesitated to connect too strongly with either of them, knowing that any major move I made would hurt one or the other. However, I was worried that not making a move at all would cause me to lose both, and I would feel even worse. So I would try to make a decision when the moment was right, whenever that would be. I just hoped it would all work out with everyone happy in the end, but that just didn't happen in real life and especially not to me.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it's really, really short, but I am insanely tired. Next one should be much longer though and will be up soon, probably. Thanks for reading and reviewing and all that jazz. Till next time.**


	11. Air Superiority

**A/N: Hello again. I know the last chapter was pretty short, but this and the next one will be definite must reads, so hang in there.**

**Basia Orci: I did know she was a fair bit older than him, but I also hoped no-one would notice. I was going to mention a change in her age in an earlier author's note, but I didn't. Not sure why, but it's been brought up now, so I might as well. So, to help relatability between Maya and Fletcher throughout the story, let's say she's 17, maybe 18, because I can. :D**

**There's some navy talk later on, so to help you remember which side is which, left is port, right is starboard. When you look at a boat, there is a red light on the port side, and green on the starboard. There's a little saying I know that always helps me and that's 'There's no red port left on the boat.'**

**Read on.**

* * *

Mordecai, Angel and I arrived at the nearest quick travel station in a few hours, and teleported to the station in the flying city. As we arrived and shook off the disorientation, Brick walked up to us from where he had waited near the quick travel.

"Good you guys are back. I hope you got a good night's sleep, because this is going to be one badass mission." He motioned for us to follow him, and we made our way out to the shuttle that had docked, clamping straight onto the side of Sanctuary. It was a vessel made for a battle zone, having been built to withstand and deal massive damage to any ground or air hostiles. It was covered in auto-turrets, had thick reinforced armour plating all around, and the rear boosters would be able to give the powerful vessel impressive manoeuvrability in combat. The ships name, written in customary Hyperion lettering, was clearly visible on the bow; however red spray paint had been written in front of its old name, and I thought it fitted rather well.

The new addition to the Crimson Raider arsenal had been dubbed the _Firehawk._

Gaige was on Deathtrap's shoulders as they hovered over the extremely long drop, and was working on the auto-turrets that were placed strategically all around the vessel. I watched as the young engineering prodigy pulled at the metal panels, and rewired and added to the electronics she revealed. Immediately, Angel ran over and called up to her, asking what she could do to help, and when Gaige replied, I felt Angels power move throughout the ship, refining and improving on the Hyperion hardware.

Maya walked up to me from where she had been talking with Axton, and said, "Glad you made it back in one piece."

I motioned toward the ship, and asked, "What do you guys think of our choice of transport?"

Maya smiled, "Well, it's no Lamborghini," She said, "but it's damn good enough. C'mon, I'll show you guys around the newly named _Firehawk_."

She walked off toward the ship, and Mordecai and I followed. As I walked past Angel, who had finished her modifications and was watching Gaige work, I tapped her shoulder, and she followed me into the ship.

The corridors were barely tall enough for me to stand up in and I knew Zero, but especially Brick would have trouble moving among the compartments quickly. I followed Mordecai as we made our way toward the back of the ship. We arrived in the engine room, and I looked the two massive engine drives over. I had no idea what their statistics were, but the low humming noise that filled the room was an earthy rumble that I loved. They were connected to drivetrains that ran across into a compartment that rotated two massive turbines, which powered the massive pulse drives of the ship. The drivetrains were rotating relatively slowly, and I guessed they were only powering the vertical engines.

Maya walked over to a control desk and checked the readouts, before turning back to us and saying, "Well, from what Gaige told me when she made her way around the ship, the _Firehawk_ has some serious speed. And now, with the modifications that you just made, Angel, it should be even quicker. It's able to accelerate quicker than any other ship of its size, and has as much manoeuvrability as its smaller cousins. The engines are quite fuel-efficient, and luckily we have more than enough to reach the Moonbase. Even with the expected aerial combat, it should only be about fifteen to twenty minutes there.

I pointed to the control desk and asked, "How much extra power has Gaige been able to give us?"

Maya rechecked the number before replying, "About twenty-six per cent, and including Angels Phaseshift modifications almost forty. We will be as quick as the JET-Loaders that Hyperion will be sure to send our way."

I hadn't had much experience against JET-Loaders, except during the fight against BN3KR, but they had a pretty high top speed when they were let loose. It was an impressive feat to get a ship almost 30 times larger to the same speeds.

Maya walked out through a door next to the control desk, and we followed her along the winding corridors. As we made our way, she spoke over her shoulder, "Luckily, we won't have to walk around this much during the actual assault, as each of us will be stationed in a particular place on the ship during the flight."

We walked into a room that I assumed was the bridge, because we could see reinforced, bullet proof glass at the front of the ship, and there were multiple stations around the room where the navigator, Captain, pilot and other support crew would sit during a flight.

Maya pointed toward the raised, padded seat that was in the middle of the room, "Angel, seeing as you'll be piloting and controlling the majority of the ships actions, you get the Captain's chair. An interesting coincidence in having a Siren flying the _Firehawk_, don't you think? I will be sitting at the comms station, keeping up contact with Brick and his buzzards and relaying information to everyone. Mordecai, you will be on the weapons monitoring station, Gaige will be in the engine room, keeping everything at peak performance, while Axton, Zero and Salvador man the three larger canons that cover the ships vulnerable points."

I raised an eyebrow, "What about me?" I asked, wondering why I hadn't been specified a position.

Maya smiled and spoke to Mordecai and Angel, "You two can familiarise yourselves with your stations and the _Firehawk_. Fletcher, follow me."

We made our way back out to Sanctuary, passing the others as they made their way to their given locations. I stepped out the door onto land, and followed Maya along the portside hull of the ship. There had been a ladder welded into the side, and Maya began climbing. I followed her up, until the ladder turned into a non-slip surface that had been recently lain down. We walked out across the top of the ship, till we reached a portion that had been modified with a few contraptions I had never seen before.

"Gaige is very proud of what she has been able to do here. Those digistruct looking contraptions," Maya said, "are actually electro locks, and will be what hold you on the ship."

I turned to her in surprise. I would be riding on the outside of the ship, up through space, all the way to the Moonbase? I would die within a few minutes from exposure, without mentioning being riddled by bullets.

Maya saw my expression and laughed, "Don't worry, we thought of everything. Look," she said, and stepped over to a panel, activating a holostation that had several controls on it, "hop up onto the platform."

I walked over, and as I crossed the ring around the platform, a small shield like the one that had protected Sanctuary activated around me.

Maya walked over and knocked on the shield, saying, "Completely bullet proof, and as long as the engines are running, it won't ever be deactivated or pierced. Try Phasepulsing through it."

I charged a pulse and launched it out into the sky. It passed through the shield without a single flicker, and I recognised the technology as a more advanced version of an ION Loader.

"Well, this is all fine and dandy, but how am I supposed to stay on?" I asked.

Maya reached down and activated to blue streams of energy that locked around my ankles. I realised they were what she had called electro locks.

"Those will allow you to turn and move as you need, but will stop you from moving a certain distance from the ship. Also, the shield is airtight, and there will be a constant supply of air, so you won't have to worry about anything when we leave the atmosphere."

I nodded. They really had thought of everything.

Maya pressed a few more buttons and I heard a hiss as the air pumps activated. "You'll be able to hear anything we say over the ECHO, so pay attention." She said, and smiled at me fondly, "Don't get killed okay?"

I nodded again and smiled back, "Okay." I said, with my heart in turmoil. Maya climbed back down the ladder, blowing me a kiss as she dropped below my line of sight, and I readied myself to fight.

I heard Bricks voice over the radio, "Alright slabs, let's get this on!" From below the ship, dozens of buzzards appeared, and I felt the _Firehawk _rumble into life beneath me. It was going to be one hell of a ride.

Gaige's voice came over the ECHO, "Alright guys, everything is in order. Angel, you have complete control, so you know, don't kill us all." Her voice cut out for a second, before coming back in embarrassment, "Oh, and Fletcher, I'm about to activate the artificial gravity for your platform, so, you know, don't think you can float away and stuff."

I didn't notice anything change beneath me, and I realised I shouldn't, so I took Gaige's word for it. She hadn't been wrong yet.

We were speeding up now, and the rumble of the engines behind me was impressive. Angel was keeping us at an equal pace with the buzzards, which were arranged before our bow in a cone formation. I was a little surprised at the Bandit pilot's discipline, before I remembered who their boss was.

Maya connected to me over the ECHO, "You alright up there Fletch?"

"Yeah, just warn me before any sudden movements." I said, chuckling at the image of myself falling over in the middle of a barrel roll.

"Don't worry, I will." Angel said, as she increased our speed. "I'm also keeping our ECHO comms from being intercepted by Jack, so we can talk freely."

Right on cue, though I doubt he knew it, Jack's voice connected to our ECHO's, "Well, look at this. The rebellion has decided to actually rebel, for once. Just tell me though, who the hell came up with this one?" He said, laughing, "Because, it's really, really stupid. But, hey I won't complain, it's a real nice opportunity to kill some pesky Bandits."

His voice changed, and he threatened, "But you Vault Hunters, oh, you can make your way up to the Moonbase as fast or slow as you want. It just brings you straight to me."

I wondered at this. Why would Jack confirm his position so readily to us? It wasn't sound strategy, and he was either insane, or leading us on. I gloomily guessed it was probably both.

Maya spoke over the ECHO, "Here come the Jet Loaders! Everyone get ready!"

Mordecai's voice followed hers; and he yelled out, "Bring it on you Hyperion assholes! For Bloodwing, for Lilith, for Roland and for PANDORA!"

The two fleets met, and the fighters broke formation, splitting off into numerous dogfights. The Hyperion Loaders outnumbered the buzzards by a third, with more on the way, but they lacked any major firepower. The auto cannons all over the ship lit up, and I began to let Phasepulses fly into the enemy. I was taking out the JET Loaders left and right, armour and wings shredding off like paper. I saw Salvador's cannon, which was in front of me and above the view port of the bridge, fire massive rounds towards the oncoming JET's. The heavy fire tore through the armour, sending the loaders toward the ground in flaming wrecks.

I saw a larger, more deadly looking JET Loader bank around from out left and fire two streaking missiles toward our engines. I called a warning out to Angel on the ECHO, but she was all over the problem. Just before impact, the ship jumped up in the air, causing me to collapse down to one knee with a grunt. I felt Angel's power on the missiles, and they redirected into two other JET loaders.

The missile firing JET flew over the top of the ship, the roar from the engines muffled by the shield. As it began to lift its nose upwards into a loop, I launched a Phasepulse that hit its left-wing, causing it to spiral out of control, and be cut in half by another JET smashing into the top of it. Both fell from the fight in a flaming heap, and I saw Bricks heavily armoured buzzard flying alongside the ship. As I watched, a large, bullet-proof glass covering slid up in front of his pilot's seat to protect him from the elements, and the vacuum of space.

I kept firing pulse after pulse, taking out any loader stupid enough to come into my range, and slowly noticed the sounds of any fighting die out. I assumed we had left the atmosphere, and so there was no more gas for the sound to travel through. All I could hear was the rumbling of the ship, and that was because of the vibrations through the floor.

Even as I listened, the volume increased and Angel contacted me over the ECHO, "I guess the shield is airtight then. I'm bringing us up to full speed now, so don't expect too much wild moves. It's going to be a straight speed run, all the way to the base from here."

"Don't slow down for anything Angel. Today, we take Jack's castle." I said, readying myself for another wave of loaders. "He messed with the wrong people."

We flew out toward the Moonbase, which was now at least twice as close as it had been when we left. The next wave of JET Loaders arrived, as well as a battleship like ours, only larger and slower, but with more guns, and digistruct units spawning more enemies.

More buzzards were being destroyed than Loaders now, and Brick connected to me on the ECHO, "Kid, you have to take out that ship! Hit it hard, right in the face, now!"

I smiled, charged a massive pulse, and blasted it right into the prow of the enemy ship. The _Firehawk_ was pushed back from the recoil of the blast, and I collapsed very heavily into the hull using the Phase to stop myself from collapsing completely, while the electro locks stopped me from slipping. The enemy ship's prow had entirely caved in, and the digistruct stations died out. I decided it wasn't dead enough, and launched a second Phasepulse of the same force. Again, the _Firehawk_ was knocked back, and this time the Phasepulse slammed straight into the battleships port side hull.

The Pulse caved in armour and the ship crumpled under the pressure. A large hole had appeared in its side, and as I watched, Brick launched a missile straight into the belly of the ship. A massive explosion tore the enemy battleship clean in half, and it began its long fall to the planet below.

"YEAH!" Brick cried over the ECHO, "YOU HYPERION IDIOTS MESSED WITH THE WRONG GUY!"

We cleaned up the rest of the JET loaders without too much hassle, and we arrived at the Moonbase. Our ship had a few bullet marks here and there, but overall was still in perfect working order.

I heard Maya talk, and felt the ship begin to spin to starboard, bringing the port side docking clamps in contact with the Moonbase's shuttle dock. I looked up and down the massive structure, and was in awe at its incredible size. You could have fit at least six city's the size of Sanctuary within its walls.

As I saw the dock's airlock hiss and connect firmly with the ship, I realised I had no way of getting off the top of the ship. "Ah, guys, how do I-" My breath caught in my throat as the floor below me opened up, and I dropped into the cargo hold of the ship. I landed on my feet and stood up among the Crimson Raiders that had been in there the whole time.

They looked to me, and I said, "We're there, so get ready to move out. Jack doesn't stand a chance."

There was a collective, 'Hooah!' and the room filled with the metallic noises of the soldiers weaponry.

I walked out the cargo hold door, and made my way up to the bridge. I walked in to see all the Vault Hunters readying their own weapons. I made my way over to them and everyone turned, grinning at the look of intense satisfaction on my face.

"Have fun, Amigo?" Salvador asked.

"You have no idea." I said, chuckling.

Axton walked up behind me and clapped me on the shoulder. "Then let's get moving, into the belly of the beast."

* * *

**New personal favourite chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it, and I should have the next one up on the weekend. Thanks for reading and reviewing, and hang in there; the next one will be just as good!**


	12. Fight or Flight

**A/N: Well, I wrote 11 in one go yesterday, so I can do 12 the same way, without mistakes.**

**MEleeSmasher: I have read New-U and found it a very good story. A pity there hasn't been a chapter in a while. I can also see why you might think they could inter-relate, but I hadn't actually intended anything like that. Also, what do you mean by 'get behind'? I'm kind of confused as to what that referred to.**

**Here we go.**

* * *

We waited behind the door into the Moonbase in a double line formation. The corridor into the station was only able to have two people side by side, so we put Deathtrap first. His massive shoulders and armour would stop any fire from the Loaders down the tunnel. A squad of Crimson Raiders, then the Vault Hunters would follow the deadly machine into the rest of the installation. Once we had cleared a path through door, the rest of the 12 squads from the _Firehawk_ would reinforce us and make sure our escape route remained uncompromised.

We waited for Angel's signal to move. She had her power roaming through the room beyond the exit of the docking passage, destroying any loaders, digistruct stations, or implants she could find. I even saw her open the door at the end of the passage, tricking several to open fire on the empty corridor, and then try and rush the opening. As soon as the last passed through the door, and they stared in confusion down the empty hallway, she slammed it down behind them and drained the airlock of oxygen, keeping the other gases, and within a few seconds the enemy lay dead on the ground.

The door on our end slid open, and Deathtrap glided down, claws out, and arms raised in protection. Even with all Angel's preparation a hail of bullets still hammered into his massive armour from several loaders. He simply quickened his pace, and the rest of the Crimson Raiders followed the robot out into the fray. We opened fire on the Hyperion personnel that surrounded the room, and within seconds, thanks to Deathtrap's bloodied claws and Axton's missile pods, the first battle of a long day was over.

More Raider squad's burst out the door, taking up strategic positions around the door to the ship. The two special ops squads that would accompany us through the Moonbase marched over to the doors leading into the rest of the station. There were two groups, one would head toward the main control centre, and the other would move toward the nearest security desk, in an attempt to locate Jack and Lilith.

I would be following Gaige, Axton, Salvador and Zero and our group would be focusing on the security desk. Our primary objective was to locate and rescue Lilith, who would also be with the Vault Key, charging it with Eridium. If Jack was with her, then we would attempt to kill him and end this, but if we could not do it alone, we were to fall back and await reinforcements.

I moved over to the door, standing in formation with the Raiders, as they prepared to breach the door. The leader of the squad, who I saw was a certain Sergeant Phoenix, glanced my way, before turning back to the door. Just before the leader of delta squad activated the switch, Angel cried out. He paused, turning to her with his finger hovering over the button.

"Don't press that!" She called from the opposite door, "Until I hack the security system in this sector, that door will explode if you activate it. Hang on just a few seconds."

We waited as Angel deactivated the systems and prevented them being reactivated from an external point. Then with a nod, she confirmed her work done, and that it was safe to proceed. The squad ran out into the next room, yelling war cries and clearing it out before I even got to the door.

I looked back across to Angel, who gave me a nervous smile before she followed Brick into the other room. My separation from her was going to worry me throughout the whole mission.

I connected to Mordecai's ECHO, and said, "Keep her safe Mordecai. Or you will have the wrath of a Siren to deal with."

I disconnected before he could reply, and turned back to my own door. I stepped through cautiously, but it was unnecessary. I saw multiple destroyed Loaders and a few dead Hyperion soldiers scattered around the room, and the other Raiders and Vault Hunters ready to move on. I ran over, stepping into line in front of Zero, who had stood back and allowed me to slot into the formation. Again, the SpecOps Sergeant burst through the door, mowing enemies down with his Torgue shotgun. The rest of the squad followed him in, and this time I actually had someone to fire at when I turned the corner.

I let loose a pulse into some soldiers who had taken cover behind a wall. The drag from the pulse pulled them away, and I rushed around, launching another that threw them into each other and back into the wall. The tangled men struggled to get up, but were too late. I had already thrown a grenade into their midst, and with a few seconds, all that was left of them was a red mist on the walls.

The journey through the corridors was intense, and we lost a few of the SpecOps Raiders to sly and honourless ambushes by the desperate Hyperion troops. It was tough, close quarter fighting that left the nerves on edge, the body buzzing and shaking with adrenaline, and your pulse racing through your ears. Everything was action and reaction. The mind took a backseat to the instincts of the body, and you got lost in the heat of battle and the satisfaction of your enemies cowering and falling before you.

I was at the front of our group, Zero covering the left flank with his acrobatic and incredible swordplay, Axton's turret on the walls above raining hell with slag, missiles and massive rounds that tore through the thickest armour. Salvador was on my right firing his two prized spiniguns like a madman, and swearing in Spanish the whole time.

I had a feral snarl on my face as I launched myself with a Phasepulse toward yet another group of Hyperion soldiers and Loaders. As I landed, I slammed into the ground, letting off a blast of energy that threw the enemies around me back. As they recovered, I and some of the remaining Raiders finished them off.

But as I moved across to the last one, he threw his weapon away and cried for mercy. I aimed my pistol at his head, but Axton's hand reached out and lowered my weapon. I glanced up in surprise, and he shook his head firmly. I returned the gun to its thigh holster, and leant back, crossing my arms in annoyance.

Axton leant down in front of the man, spinning his tomahawk around his finger. The man's eyes, wide in fear, followed the blades every revolution. Axton stopped the spin of the weapon, and the man's eyes snapped up to meet his.

"So, now that I have your attention," Axton said in a cold, merciless voice, "why don't you tell me where the security centre is? Hurry up, and you can go. Lie and you will learn a lesson. Don't think I won't know if you're lying. Everyone has a giveaway, and I already know yours." The tomahawk resumed its hypnotising spinning, and the soldier swallowed heavily in fear.

"You, have to head, d-d-down this corridor here," He said, shaking heavily, "Then up a level. Go toward the c-c-centre of the base, and you will find it behind a big door labelled security. You c-c-can't miss it." He cowered down before Axton, primal fear on his face. I scowled in disgust. This man was such a weakling it made me wonder how far Hyperion's standards had slipped, for them to allow this whelp into the supposedly mighty Hyperion army.

Axton nodded. "You didn't lie. Good Job, now I have somewhere to be. But remember, you do too."

Confusion was written all over the soldiers face. "R-r-really?" He said, "Where do I have to go now?"

Axton, shrugged, and answered simply. "Hell," he said, and shot the man in the head with his revolver.

We moved on, following the directions we had been given. We came across more resistance than before, and lost another of the SpecOps squad. It was hard going, and as we reached the door to the security centre, a Super Badass Loader dropped out of an opening in the ceiling. Its triple tiered cannons charged up and fired before any of us could react.

I had been on point for the majority of the battle, so I took the brunt of its fire. My shield dropped alarmingly fast, and I had to move fast. I leapt toward the Loader with a Phasepulse, and landed right on top of it. It was unable to hit me here, but it still tried to shake me off, twisting rapidly left and right. I hung on, and broke some of the armour off the top of it, before firing into the inner workings. Sparks flew, but it still stood defiantly before the door.

The others were unable to fire at the Loader, for fear of hitting me, but Zero ran up in front of it, his katana extended behind him. He jumped up onto the knee of the enemy, before slicing straight through the left shoulder joint. The massive guns fell to the floor, and the whole robot stumbled to the right as it unbalanced. I Phasepulsed the top of the machine just before it fell over into the wall. The extra force from my pulse slammed it into the ground, causing the whole side to cave into the chest compartment.

The ammo stores in the remaining right side gun were pierced, and the whole thing exploded, shrapnel flying throughout the room. Lucky as I am, a single, red hot shaft of metal flew straight into my left shoulder, breaking my shield, and spearing clean through just below my collarbone.

I screamed at the burning pain in my shoulder, and collapsed against the wall. I had been experimented on, shot, and burnt, but this was still a mind numbing pain. I couldn't move my left arm at all, and even the travel of Phase through my body was a challenge to control around the wound. Zero ran over, pulling a glowing red injector from his belt.

I waved him away, knowing what he planned, and said, "I got this, just hang on a sec."

I reached out into the Phase and pulled power in, focusing it around my shoulder as much as I could. I felt the energy being drawn into my body, and glanced down the see the bleeding stopping and the hole closing up. The others watched, impressed, as the wound sealed over, with a short white scar under my shirt the only thing to show the incident had happened. I glanced up at them, and jumped to my feet.

"Don't get any ideas. That only works on me, and only because I'm a Siren. Let's get going." I said, as I waved the group off.

We stood around the door to the security centre in a rough semicircle. Phoenix activated the door panel, and we charged into the room, our battle cries amplified by the confined space. We burst into the large room, taking cover behind the desks and holostations. The Hyperion soldiers had readied themselves for us, and had surrounded the door with multiple heavily armed Loaders, and an Ion Loader on a raised platform further back, as well as positions that allowed them to cover each other's movements.

I was crouched down behind a desk with Gaige, as bullets hissed around us and took chunks out of the cover. We would be exposed to their fire if we didn't move soon.

I spoke to her over the noise of the gunfire, "Get ready to run to that desk toward the right, I have an idea." She nodded, and chucked a grenade over the cover.

I heard one of the soldiers cry out, and there was a gap in the constant cover fire. Taking advantage, I jumped into the wall behind us, and then launched myself across the room, and up to the far left corner. I now had the entire group of Loaders and soldiers flanked, and took advantage of their surprise by charging and releasing a room shaking Phasepulse. They were all thrown back, some colliding with desks, some clearing it all and falling down next to the other Raiders.

As before, we cleared the area quickly; making sure each of the hostiles had been killed or deactivated, before regrouping in the middle of the room.

Gaige spoke quickly, "I know which console has the information we need. It will take me only a few seconds to activate it, and then we can get the hell out of this Hyperion hell hole."

The rest of us nodded, and Axton said, "Everyone move to a defendable position. Jack won't let us find him easily."

We all spread out and Gaige ran over to one of the holostations. Axton placed his turret up on the wall above her, and before she began her work, she digistructed DT, and told him to go cover the main entrance with Salvador.

Just as Gaige activated the station, enemies began to rush the doors. We held them back easily, but there was still enough to give us a mildly challenging battle. I was able to keep nearly all back with my pulses, and the ones I wasn't destroying with my pulse were being riddled with bullets from the rest of the Vault Hunters and Crimson Raiders. DT had followed some soldiers back down a corridor, and I heard unearthly screams and sounds echoing from that particular area of the battle.

The fighting became a little more desperate, as the enemy began to co-ordinate their movements, making it harder to predict which direction would rush next. They would slide the door's up, then have a half-hearted couple of shots at our position, and while they remained safe in cover, a group on the other side of the room rushed in. As soon as he realised their tactics, Axton told us all to focus on a particular sector, and not worry about any others, unless the Vault Hunter covering that area called a warning. With the new strategy, we held back Hyperion much better than before.

Gaige's voice called over the sounds of battle, "Ah guys! We have a problem!"

I knocked a group of soldiers back into their corridor, and connected to Gaige's ECHO, opening the channel to all the Raiders in the room, "What's going on?" I said.

"There is nothing on Jack or Lilith in the database!" She said, typing into the machine desperately, "The whole thing has been wiped, and I can't get a lock on Jack's bio signature. It should be connected to the Hyperion network at all times."

Zero's sniper blew the brains out of the last Hyperion soldier, and the room went quiet.

Gaige hit the desk in frustration, trying to think of a way around the new problem. "If only we had Angel here! We wouldn't have to worry."

Jack's voice came over the ECHO, "Having a little trouble are we? Well, I'm sure you understand I can't just let you get this one that easy! Oh yeah, and I've captured your friends, who are now with me and Lilith, a long, long way from the Moonbase." My mind reeled in shock; Jack had captured the rest of the Vault Hunters, all of them?

He kept speaking, "Seriously, you made it so obvious what your plan was, that I can barely even feel any satisfaction from defeating you. So, I thought I would give you an itty bitty chance. Surrender to the pretty much limitless amount of guys that have surrounded you, or fight it out and die. Your choice, but I really, really hope you surrender, because that is so much more fun for me. Really, you don't know the half of it."

I knew what I had to do. I was the only one who could move fast enough to make it, and the survival of the entire rebellion depended on my speed.

I immediately ran for the door, connecting to the other's ECHO'S as I ran. "Guys, I will make it out of here. Surrender and survive, and I promise, I will save you. I'm sorry, but I have no other choice right now. Just don't do anything stupid, and you'll be okay."

I drew on the Phase in huge amounts, increasing my speed and reaction times by tenfold. I blasted in the door, and slid under the Loaders that had been lined up in the corridor. Phasepulsing some more out of my way, I sprinted at top speed toward the stairs. Leaping straight down them, I landed, rolling to absorb the impact, and kept running.

There were GUN Loaders everywhere, and I leapt and dodged straight through them all. I caused many of them to fire on each other, and only had one or two rounds actually hit my shield. I was practically flying down the corridor toward the docking stations, when I saw a massacre of Crimson Raiders outside the door to the _Firehawk._ Jack had been merciless, not sparing a single soldier, and I grew angry at his non-existent humanity.

I launched a relatively light Phasepulse at the bottom of the docking corridor's door, and slid under. Stopping for the first time in minutes, I bent the door back, and jammed it shut at the seals.

I turned around again and sprinted down to the door to the _Firehawk_, bursting into the corridors, locking the entrance behind me, and running for the bridge. As I went, I sealed off each of the sections, remembering a safety mechanism that Gaige had mentioned in a conversation during a lull in the fighting.

I slid to a stop as I entered the bridge. I looked around, making sure there was no Hyperion soldiers hiding, and ran over to the weapons station. I activated it, and locked down the ship, before venting all the air into the reserve tanks. Then, I hit a pink smiley face button that Gaige had added, and all the locked down sectors, excluding the bridge, were doused in an acid that was specially designed to stop dissolving when it came into contact with a certain chemical. Anything not on the ship before we left would immediately corroded and left as a slimy puddle on the floor.

I dropped into the Captain's chair, and grabbed the piloting joystick. Looking at the holoscreen next to my left hand, I deactivated the docking clamps, activated the engines and automated defence systems, and pulled away from the Moonbase.

As I used the nav sensors to scan for unusually high amounts of Eridium radiation, Jack contacted me over the ECHO, "So, the new kid makes it out alive huh? Well, I have to say I'm impressed Fletcher. You were my favourite as soon as I found out about the whole control core thing, and you know that? I hate your guts, but I am proud of you. After all, you wouldn't have been a Siren in the first place without my experimentation," His voice took on a more sinister humour, and he said, "Oh and just to help you learn a lesson, I have a little message to send. Remember now, this is for your own good."

He cut out for a second, before an image appeared on my HUD. Jack stood next to Maya in front of a volcanic background. She was bound and on her knees, and he was holding his gun to her temple.

"Say goodbye to your little boyfriend, Maya." He said, his voice shaking in rage. "Say it!" he yelled, his hand shaking at the trigger.

A tear rolled down Maya's cheek, and she stared into the camera. She whispered, "Don't forget me."

Jack grunted, "Good enough," he said.

And pulled the trigger.

"MAYA!" I screamed, but he had cut the connection.

"YOU BASTARD JACK!" I cried, "YOU'LL PAY FOR EVERYTHING! I SWEAR IT, YOU ASSHOLE!"

I was not ashamed of the tears that fell from my eyes, and as the computers scan finished, I swung the _Firehawk _around to my new course. That last image was forever burned into my memory, and I knew that Jack's death would not be enough to satisfy my ache for revenge. So I would destroy all Hyperion stood for, and all it had. I would bring it down, slowly, and then when it was weak and begging for mercy, I would strike, and maybe then I would be satisfied.

It was time to end this.

* * *

**A/N: Yes I did do it, and yes it has happened, but you don't have to get comfortable with the idea of her death. I have plans for the future.**

**Well, I have to say; even I got chills just from writing that. I realise some of you might be wondering why the end is arriving earlier than you expected, but there is a definite sequel on the way.**

**I'm pretty sure a lot of people will have picked up the Gears of War reference in the name of Sergeant Phoenix and Delta squad. Credit for those names belongs to Epic Games. And of course to Gearbox goes the credit for any and all Borderlands characters that aren't OC or other miscellaneous creations.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing, and final chapter up soon!**


	13. Fall of a Tyrant

**A/N: Sorry for the wait after the big cliff hanger last chapter. I have been away this week and not had any internet. However, I had heaps of spare time, so I have been able to get loads of writing done. I have started on the sequel which will be uploaded sometime soon after this one. This is a very, very, long chapter (6805 words), so give yourself a fair bit of time to get through it. Read on and enjoy!**

* * *

I flew for only an hour, without Jack's JET Loaders giving me any trouble. I was following the nav data to a place called Hero's Pass, where there was an extreme concentration of Hyperion activity, as well as a hell of a lot of Eridium. I wouldn't be able to get to the exact location the nav said from the air, however, as it was inside a volcano with the only entrance through a relatively small cave.

The canyon leading to the cave was full to the brim with Hyperion Loaders, soldiers, and technology designed to keep me out. I flew in low over the canyon, searching for a way to land near the entrance to the cave. I programmed the nav computer to find a possible landing spot inside the canyon, and also set it to choose places closer to the entrance to the cave over places further away, as I needed to save time wherever possible. I knew the Vault key was close to being completely charged, and every moment I had to fight past Jack's army, the closer he got to awakening the Warrior.

The nav computer beeped an alert, and I checked the map it had generated. It seemed to be showing an entrance at the start of the crevice, but also that I wouldn't have to leave the ship until I reached the actual cave entrance. I swung the _Firehawk_ back around to the start of Hero's Pass, and then dropped in through the location the map showed. It was a tight fit, and the hostiles below me all had perfectly clear shots at the ship however, but this wasn't a problem, as the armour was impervious to small arms fire.

I let the auto cannons loose as I slowly made my way through the Pass. I made sure that I left nothing alive, and reached the designated landing zone relatively easily. There were a few sections that required some fancy manoeuvring, but I passed them with only minor scratches and dents. The _Firehawk_ was able to cruise along the pass and resist any hits the Hyperion army tried to damage it with. Even the RPG loaders only shook me in my seat, without actually causing any serious damage. If we survived this, the Crimson Raiders will have gained a powerful asset for their arsenal.

As I rounded the last corner, and the base of the volcano was revealed, I saw a massive Super Badass Constructor sitting vigilantly in front of the cave mouth. It locked its heat-seekers onto the _Firehawk's _engines and launched a volley of missiles. However, the weapons computer had already locked the auto cannons onto the missiles, and was destroying them as they left the launch pods of the Constructor. As the first volley of missiles was destroyed, I turned the forward canons on the eye of the Constructor, and it was destroyed in seconds.

After the machine exploded in a spectacular orange mushroom cloud, I blasted the wreckage out of the way and brought the _Firehawk_ in for landing. The vertical thrust engines kicked up clouds of dust, clouding the area and reducing the enemy's visibility. I activated the infra-red sensors and cleaned out the rest of the Hyperion soldiers and Loaders in the area. The shipped touched down on the landing gear, and the hydraulics hissed and the rumbling of the engines faded as the ship settled on its feet. I left the weapons systems activated, to protect the ship from possible Hyperion reinforcements, and lowered the boarding ramp from the bottom of the ship.

I ran down the corridors to the armoury, and selected my weapons. I was going to need some serious firepower if I was to defeat Jack, and if things went badly, the Warrior too. I also needed to be able to arm the rest of the Vault Hunters, if I was able to free them. I chose one of Axton's favourite assault rifles, an E-Tech Vladof that shot corrosive lasers, an electric SMG for Gaige, a pair of spiniguns for Salvador, a massive corrosive Maliwan sniper for Zero, and a light, corrosive Dahl SMG for Angel. I tried to remember what the others had said that Lilith liked to use, and recalled them saying she liked anything with fire elemental. I grabbed a glowing, orange Maliwan SMG with a circular power core clip, a massive Jacobs sniper for Mordecai, and a big Bandit rocket launcher for Brick. I added them all to my ECHO's digistruct memory, after making sure each weapon as of high enough quality to survive he fight.

I had my pistol in the thigh holster, the Vladof in the crook of my elbow, and grenades along my belt. There were multiple different mods on them, mostly corrosive, but with a few electric too. Included with the other effects, such as sticky longbow or singularity, I was able to provide enough choice for any situation.

Satisfied with my loadout and the choices I had made for the others, I ran down the ramp and out the ship, turning left toward the entrance to the cave. There were carts full of Eridium sitting on train tracks running into the depths of the cave, and the concentration of Phase in the area was immense. If I had no other choice, I would be able to draw on enough energy to collapse the entire volcano, and destroy everyone or everything inside. I hoped it wouldn't come to that, and I would try everything else before it, but I may not have the liberty of such a choice.

I made my way quickly through the cave, and a nightmare vista was revealed. The whole place was full of shifting, bubbling lava, the stench of sulphur filled the air, and ash coated everything. I saw massive statues, built by an ancient race that even had lava pouring out of the eyes. I recognised the creatures depicted as Eridian Guardians, ancient golems built to defend the mystical Vaults from invaders. I assumed there weren't any actual Guardians here, or they wouldn't of let Hyperion build over the area so easily.

I ran on toward a lift built to allow access to the outcropping where the Vault sat. I could see Lilith, her Siren wings extended behind her, and the three pieces of the Vault key rotating around her as she drew on a pile of Eridium below. I could feel the immense amount of power flowing through her body, as well as the collar that was forcing her power against her.

Reaching the lift, I activated it, and jumped off when it reached the bottom. I ran steadily across the treacherous, ash coated rocks toward the Vault itself. I could see Jack now, standing in front of a computer terminal, working on something while he waited for the key to finish charging. I passed a supply crate full of ammo and Eridium, and leapt down a set of large rocks and boulders onto the piece of land where the Vault was located. It was only slightly above the lava itself, and the heat was intense.

I readied myself for the fight ahead. Jack was going to throw everything he had against me, and I would not back down from this challenge. I was powered by an incredible rage, and I would show no mercy against this man who was barely human. No matter what I had to do, I would have my vengeance.

I saw the others suspended in blue electric jail cages, their limbs locked back by electro locks from each corner of the cage. They were all unconscious, except Angel, who spotted me as I walked out from behind the rocks. A smile touched her lips, before a sob of relief racked her frame. Jack glanced up, saw that she was awake, and sent an electric shock through her beautiful body. The girl shuddered, and passed out like the others. I looked away in anger and my eyes landed on Mayas' body, surrounded by a pool of blood. My throat choked up at the image, and I turned away again. I put all my emotions except rage in the back of my mind. I could not afford to let anything distract me now.

I walked past the Guardian statues, and glanced up at Lilith, who was struggling against the power that flooded every inch of her body. A beam of glowing Phase energy travelled from the pile of Eridium below her to her own body, before splitting into three beams that were each connected to a piece of the Vault key. The pieces orbited her body at an alarming rate, and the power they contained was incredible. Even her wings, which had been as orange as the purest flame, were now tinted purple from the energy. It was a horrible torture, and her face was creased in pain and what I assumed was frustration. Her eyes opened, and they glowed as she looked down at me.

"Hurry," she mouthed, and I nodded. This war had been going on long enough, and the key was nearly charged. We could both feel it.

"Jack!" I called, and he turned from the desk to face me. His mask was just as I remembered. Pale, perfect, and smug.

"Ah, you're here," He said, smiling. "You may have noticed the Vault key's nearly charged, and then Pandora will be mine. Oh and, thanks for bringing my daughter back to me. I was worried she might not come home, but you and your friends provided quite the escort, I just hope she didn't learn too many bad habits from you disgusting bandits."

I growled, "Quit stalling Jack. You don't have your Warrior yet. Let's finish this now. You and me, one on one," I took a step forward, and raised my gun, but not aiming at him just yet. No need to antagonise him too much.

"Oh, you think I have the honour to accept your challenge, man to man, do you? Well, wake-up call kid, I didn't need honour to become the most powerful man in the galaxy."

He shrugged and bared his teeth, meeting my eyes in anger, "I will however, be glad to fight you. The stress relief will be good for me. Prepare to die, Siren."

I held his gaze, my heart racing with determination and adrenaline, "Whatever Jack, it won't happen." I said.

He laughed, and yelled, "Righto kid, then let's do this!"

He pulled out his revolver, and hit a button on his belt. All of a sudden, at least four holographic images of Jack appeared, surrounding me. Even though the holograms themselves were insubstantial, the guns they carried were not, and my shield dropped quickly.

I yelled out, "Enough!" and launched a huge Phasepulse at the ground, the energy rolling out in all directions. The holograms disappeared, and the real Jack was thrown back. He slammed into a rock, and collapsed to the ground heavily. I digitised the rifle to get it out of the way and leapt over to him. As he was rising to his feet, I landed next to him, and with the force of my jump behind me, I slammed my palm into the ground, releasing another massive shockwave.

Jack was thrown at least four metres into the sky, and as he reached the peak of his short flight, I jumped off the ground, then, leaping off the rock, slammed into him as hard as I could with my knee. He grunted in pain, and I felt multiple bones break from the collision. We fell toward the rocky ground below, and, manoeuvring myself above him, I kicked off his back, sending him into the ground faster, and slowing my own decent. I rolled to absorb the impact, and Jack landed with a sickening crunch. He slid a few metres, before rising with a broken arm, and blood trickling from a wound in his side.

"Ah, fuck you Siren!" he said, coughing some blood onto the ground, "You and your little friends aren't perfect. You can make mistakes, just like the rest of us, you can fail like the rest of us, and I think you of all people would know you can die like the rest of us. You won't win here. You're the bad guys, and the bad guys always lose. That's how the world works, so just piss off, and die!"

He stumbled over to his gun, and bent down to pick it up, cursing in pain. I walked over behind him as he stood up again, and kicked him over into the dirt.

"You think your justified, Jack? You think the war, the death, the murder of innocents is all justified by your naïve self-righteousness?" I kicked him in the ribs, and he rolled away in pain. I followed him, rolled him onto his back, and kicked the gun from his hand.

"You believe you have a right to your power? You really believe in your own life's superiority over my life, over Angel's life, over Maya's? You, asshole, have a harsh lesson to learn." I punched him across the jaw, and one of his teeth rolled away in the ash.

"There is no innocence, only degrees of guilt. And you are the guiltiest of us all." I said, before I hit him again, harder.

He turned back to face me, blood leaking from his lips and nostrils. "You don't think I know that? I have spent my whole life trying to atone for previous actions. I have made mistakes and learned from them. I am justified, because while I'm guilty of much, at least I've tried to atone for what I've done by clearing a planet of people like you. Of people who are evil enough to wrong, and not care for the consequences of any of their actions. So, you're sitting here telling me that _I'm_ the problem? You better come back to earth kid, because your logic's as broken as your life." He scoffed, and blood spattered across his shirt, "You can go fuck yourself. At least my morals aren't as twisted as your neck will be."

He bucked hard, and threw me off of him. I rolled away and leapt to my feet, as he stood up and dived for his revolver. I jumped after him, but landed short. He rolled onto his back before I got to him, and pointed the gun at my head. I stopped in my tracks, and raised my hands.

"Ha! Think your fast Fletcher? Think your quick enough with that power of yours to dodge a bullet?" He grinned wildly, all pretence of sanity gone, "Go on, try me. Let's see how good you are."

Neither of us moved. I thought about all the possibilities, and I had to think fast. I could see his finger tightening around the trigger. I wouldn't survive a direct hit to the head from that gun. In the stomach, maybe, but the head? No amount of Phase could fix that.

I took a step back, and Jack laughed, "Scared of death are we? I wouldn't be surprised. I fear hell too." He kept the gun pointed at me while slowly got to his feet. "So, I guess the fight's over huh?" He chuckled, "I should've cancelled your project when I had the chance. You know, I was the one who personally over saw your group of subjects. No really, it was me guiding the research teams the whole time. And seeing as you can't remember your real parents, I suppose that makes me your father." His smile faded, and the gun steadied in his hand. "Well, then I guess it's appropriate I clean up my mistake."

"Goodbye, _son."_

He fired, but as he did, I launched a Phasepulse at the ground. It bounced me up into the air, but I wasn't fast enough. The bullet penetrated my shield and slammed into my side, sending me spinning in the air. The pain was incredible, and I could feel one of my ribs crunching and cracking against the others. The Teflon coated projectile must have hit it directly and shattered it. I landed heavily, and rolled away, holding my side, and thick, warm blood coated my hands in streams.

The pain was making it hard to breath. I coughed up blood onto the ash and cursed. Straight away I began drawing in as much Phase as I could, and slowly I felt the wound begin to repair, and the broken bone shifted back into place. The bullet popped out, coated in my blood, and the skin sealed over, leaving a lumpy scar at the entry point. I felt better already, but as I glanced up I saw the one sight I had feared the whole battle.

Jack made his way over to Lilith, and even as I watched, there was a large, final pulse of energy from the Eridium, and the three parts of the key dropped to the ground, Lilith landing heavily among them. She struggled to raise herself, all her energy drained from the over exposure to Eridium. Jack picked up one of the keys, and then kicked her savagely in the ribs. Lilith dropped to the ground again, and groaned weakly in pain. He bent down, and disconnected the collar.

"Thanks for that, Lilith. I don't know what I would've done without you. I shall give you quite the reward later, and you can hold me to that one." He walked past her and picked up the other two pieces of the key. He spat blood onto the ground, and connected the three pieces like a puzzle, till they formed a cone. The glowing lines along each piece lit up a light purple, and I could feel the immense energy it contained swirling and pulsing inside the small confines.

Jack walked over to table that had similar designs and swirls to the key, and slotted it into the depression in the centre. The table lit up, and I heard a roar from somewhere off the cliff.

"No," I groaned, as I stood up. Lilith was still struggling to rise and I couldn't count on her for help. Jack was staring out into the abyss, looking for a sign of his ultimate warrior. I had to free the others, or they would be killed easier than sitting ducks.

Jack stood a few meters past the computer terminal, so I snuck up as quietly as I could. My ribs had nearly finished healing, but I winced at every step. Reaching the terminal, I deactivated the jail cages, and the other Vault Hunters dropped to the ground.

Jack turned at the noise and saw them, but simply laughed. "Go ahead," he said, "Wake them up. They should be allowed to see the great power that kills them."

I ran over to Gaige, and shook her awake, "C'mon! Wake up!" Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at me in confusion. "Gaige, focus, the Warrior is coming, and we have to stop it. Help me wake up the others."

When I said the Warrior was coming, fear spread across her features, but she still grasped my hand and stood up. I digistructed a weapon and gave her the shock SMG, and she moved over to Zero, waking him. I woke Salvador, and then ran over to Angel.

"Wake up!" The roaring of the Warrior was getting louder, and I wondered just what kind of beast it was that we would have to face. "C'mon Angel, get up!" My words were followed by an extremely loud roar, and her eyes shot open. Her hands clamped onto my shoulders in fear and her eyes met mine. "Get up!" I said, "It's coming, we have to take it down, and we won't stand a chance if we don't work together."

The raw fear cleared from her eyes and I pulled her up, handing her the Dahl SMG. "Thanks," she said, and I ran back to the others, distributing them their weapons, and making sure they were all okay. I glanced back at Lilith a few times, but she had passed out, and was lying limp next to the Vault Key. I would have to try and wake her up if I got a chance.

As I handed Salvador his second spinigun, a massive creature made of what looked like liquid Eridium and rock flew over the cliff, landing in the lava next to the outcropping we were standing on. Jack cried out in triumph, and stepped back toward the table. Lilith was lying next to it, and as he stepped over a glowing mark in the ground, a pulsing purple shield of Phase energy appeared around the table, trapping and protecting the pair of them.

The Warrior was massive, as big as the _Firehawk_ and twice as long. He had a long tail that had Eridium dripping from the end, his mouth was dripping lava, and his eyes glowed bright with power. He had a pair of massive stone wings lying flat against his back, with glowing Phase holding them together. I had heard of the mythical creatures known as Dragons, as well as the ancient cats that used to live on earth, and the Warrior was a cross between them.

"Warrior!" Jack called and the massive head swung down to meet him eye to eye. "I am the one who has awoken you! I am the one who has freed you from your prison! You are mine to command!"

The massive eye blinked, and the tail flicked back and forth. The rest of us backed away. We knew what Jack's first command was going to be, so all of us were searching for a weakness in the beasts armour, or maybe in the way it would fight.

"My task for you, Warrior, is to kill the Vault Hunters! All of them!" Jack cried and pointed to us.

The massive creatures gaze flicked across us, and it raised its head, filling its lungs with air. I saw what was coming before the others did. "RUN!" I yelled, and we split apart in all directions. A fraction after we moved, a massive wave of flame engulfed the area we had been standing. We took cover behind the rocks and rubble that littered the area. The Warrior turned toward me first, recognising my scent as the one who had warned the rest of his prey to his attack.

I watched from behind the thick stone block as the massive creature crouched down, sprung overhead, landing in the lava opposite his previous position. We were now in perfect range of its breath, so we all dived around the other side of cover.

"Shoot it in the face!" I shouted over the ECHO. Everyone's guns lit up and round after round slammed into the creatures open mouth. It roared in pain, opening its mouth even more. We used its surprising stupidity to our advantage, and fired as quickly as our weapons would let us. Zero's rifle was unloading a payload of acid with every shot, and the sniper used the splash to coat the creature's entire mouth. My pistol's rounds were hitting it in the very back of the throat, the acid from my shots dissolving the glowing rock. I could even see lava begin to leak like blood from a few spots.

The Warrior had had enough, and leapt around in a 180 degree turn. The long, barbed tail rose up over me, and I could feel a massive build-up of Phase in the glowing tip.

"Shit!" I dove out of the way, barely dodging the glowing ray of energy that slammed into the spot I had been standing. The Warrior roared in frustration, and the deadly beam of energy followed me as I stood and ran.

_Enough, _I thought, _I need to get on top of this thing. _"Guys, distract it! I have a plan," I called over the ECHO.

They heard me and everyone began to fire at it wherever they though a weak spot might be. I saw Zero hitting it under the arms, Axton and his turret hitting the tail directly, Gaige was firing at the base of the tail, and Salvador was spraying in every general direction. Mordecai was going for the eyes that were looking back over the Warrior's shoulder, and Brick blasted away with his launcher at the creature's legs. Angel was over near the computer terminal, and her power was concentrated on the electronics inside it. She had her gun held up with one hand, firing blind while she focused on hacking the computer. I didn't say anything, trusting that she would be able to take care of it.

I holstered my pistol and readied my power, my red and black wings appearing behind me. I was right on the edge of the lava now, and the Warrior turned back to face me. Its lungs filled with air, and the massive beast leant its head down to me. As the flame burst from its mouth, I released a continuous stream of Phasepulses, creating a protective barrier between me and the flame. Then, redirecting the remaining energy, I jumped onto the creatures head, surprising it as it tried to shake me off. I squatted down on top of it, and locked my right hand under one of the rock plates that covered its forehead.

I told the others to keep firing, and Zero said, "Go for the chest plates/ they are a major weakness/ Fletcher will be safe."

I hung on while the Warrior swung his head from side to side. Then, when he stopped and breathed fire at the others, I stuck my left hand into the gap, and released a massive Phasepulse into the creatures head. The force from the pulse slammed it into the ground, cracking the whole skull, and revealing a weakness I could take useful advantage of. It was leaking lava, but I cleared it away with blasts of Phase. I grabbed both sides of the glowing crack, and began pulling the head apart with all the strength I could muster.

The Warrior's roar changed to one of pain, and it stumbled back from the shore. I kept pulling, drawing on the Phase at incredible rates. My hands were burning, but the Phase was healing me fast enough that no permanent damage would be done. The plates started to crack spilt along his head, and the stone beast released another roar. The gap between them was aglow as lava spread along the cracks faster and faster. I pulled my hands free at the last second, and before the molten rock solidified and closed the wound, I began to launch small fast Phasepulses. The opening grew wider with each pulse and more lava started seeping out and trickling down the Warrior's forehead. The beast tried to swipe at me with a massive claw, but as it swung up toward me I blasted it with a Phasepulse powerful enough to slam the limb back into the lava, breaking it ant the joint.

The warrior had had enough, and it leapt across the outcropping, landing heavily on three paws on the other side. Then, before I had much chance to react, it began to submerge under the lava. I saw the front paws enter and sink deeper and deeper, so I turned and ran along the beasts back. I sprinted as fast as I could, and reached the base of the tail. It was still sinking, and the jump was at least twenty metres and growing, but using my momentum and a large Phasepulse at the right moment, I made the jump with only a few metres to spare.

I landed heavily, and rolled to help absorb the impact. I kept running, and stopped when I reached Salvador, who was waiting behind a block from a collapsed Guardian statue.

"Glad you could join us, pendejo!" he said, a wild grin across his features, "Looks like you really gave that puta a headache."

I grinned back at him, "He chose the wrong employer."

The ground behind us rumbled, and the Warrior rose up from the lava. Immediately, everyone ran over to the side he had appeared at and began firing. DT was shooting electric lasers into the Warrior's eyes; Axton's turret was sitting on top of a set of rocks, and Zero was next to it, firing into the now exposed chest plates. Maya's body was still lying on the shoreline and the sight of her filled me with a renewed sense of determination.

Angel contacted us over the ECHO, "Guys, I've remotely programmed the Moonbase to fire a shot at the Warrior at a moment's notice. Tell me when, and we can hammer this thing into the ground."

"Well, then what are you waiting for? Hit it, now!" I said. I was ready to finish this, and a shot from a Moonbase mortar would definitely help that along.

"Alright then, it's firing now! Everyone get down!" Angel called. She hit the button, and a distant thud could be heard from the Moonbase. We all stood back behind cover and watched as the massive round fell from the sky, slamming directly into the Warriors side. The great creature roared in pain, and its back left leg was broken. It limped toward the shore, eyes glowing furiously at our refusal at death. It didn't bother fighting smart anymore, and simply coated the whole area in a huge wave of fire.

As the flame lessened, I charged a huge Phasepulse. Then, as the flame and heat dissipated completely, I rotated out from cover and released the massive wave of energy straight into the creatures head. I was thrown back, and slid along the ground till I hit a block of stone, dislocating my shoulder.

The Warrior was lifted up from the massive force, and the already damaged head made powerful contact with a stalactite hanging from the roof of the cave. The long jagged piece of rock cut straight through the weak spot on the Warrior's skull, before breaking under the immense weight of the beast. The whole thing collapsed, and the head slammed into the ground only centimetres from the computer terminal and narrowly missing Maya's body. Ash and dusted rolled out from the impact, and it was difficult to see any further than your hands.

I grimaced and popped my shoulder back into the joint as we moved forward tentatively, unsure if the great beast was really dead. Lilith called out from the table, "Hit it with another shot from the Moonbase. I don't want that thing waking up again later."

Angel's power flickered across the computer terminal, and again the distant thud was heard. The shot fell straight into the creature's chest, crushing it and shooting hot lava out across the cave. The Warrior gave one last roar of pain, before the impaled head dropped heavily to the ground, and the glow in its eyes died out.

"No! This isn't possible!" Jack stood against the table, pulling at his hair and hitting the table in rage, "_I_ was the one who was meant to win. Not you filthy baby eating bandits! I was the one who was going to save Pandora. You hear me? Save it! I was simply doing the right thing, but you guys and your infernal will to live just wouldn't let destiny do its work. And you killed it. YOU KILLED IT! The greatest Warrior Pandora will ever see was beaten by Bandits!"

He turned away from the table and stormed over to me, yelling in my face, "And YOU, Fletcher, are the worst of all! You're not even supposed to exist, and you know it. No one is meant to live through the things you have, and definitely no one is meant to become a… mutant like you!"

I growled in his face, and shoved him hard, sending him stumbling back. "You think I had a choice Jack? You were the one who organised a whole bloody war. I am simply a casualty, and one who is actually glad of how they turned out. You think it's my fault, do you? Well I say it's your own hubris that got you're here Jack. And it's what will send you to hell."

I leaned over him, as he flinched from the unrelenting rage in my eyes, and stared him down. Angel came up behind me, and pulled me back, saying, "You're alive for a reason Fletcher. Don't let that coward get to you.

Jack laughed in dark humour, "So my own daughter is the girlfriend of my worst enemy, is that it? I guess Maya really did die for nothing then."

I had had enough of his rambling. I left Angel's grip and grabbed Jack by the throat, lifting him up off his feet, "Jack, you're going to die. Right here, right now. All I have to do is squeeze, and your head will simply pop like a bubble."

I dropped him and said, "But it's not my honour to have. There's someone here you have hurt more than any other, and she deserves to be the one to end this."

I stepped back and turned to Angel. No one made a sound as I handed the girl Jack's revolver, and she walked over to him. He stood defiantly in front of her, but Mordecai came up behind him and kicked him behind the knees, making him kneel in front of his daughter.

Jack smiled up at her, blood staining his body and dripping from his lips. He coughed and spat a glob of blood onto the ground. He looked up at Angel, with a faint smile playing across his lips. "So, I guess we find out how good a daughter you really are, Angel. Will you be good, and give me my gun, or will you be a bitch like the rest of them?"

Angel met his gaze, and put the barrel of the powerful revolver against his forehead, "I am no bitch Jack. And you have no daughter, not anymore. You lost her a long time ago to your job, your twisted evil, and your heartlessness. I simply have the honour of avenging my mother. Ending the war is just a bonus."

Jack's eyes flicked up to Angel's, and for the first time, real fear crossed his features. "Angel, I'm sorry, please, I can change, and I can become a good father again. Just put the gun do-"

Angel fired, and Jack was throws back into the table. A deep red wound trickled blood down his face, and a pool was forming around the base of the table. His mask had flown off, and his true face was revealed. A disfiguring scar in the shape of the symbol of the Vault had been cut into it with a knife.

Angel dropped the gun, and fell to her knees. Her shoulders shook as she cried, and I ran forward and held her in my arms.

"Hey, it's finished now. It's over. We can go home to Sanctuary, and then we can get started on undoing everything Hyperion has ever done, and make Pandora free once more." I met her eyes, but what I saw in them gave me a pleasant surprise, and I smiled.

Angel's face was lit up in happiness and relief, and she said, "I know all that Fletch, and I'm fine. I just, I feel so free without the shadow of his power and influence following me. I am finally free." We stood up, and everyone had smiles on their faces. Lilith walked over, limping slightly on her left leg. It had a big gash along one side, but the bleeding had stopped a fair time ago.

She was healing herself as she spoke, "Now that he's dead, Hyperion is leaderless, and we can really take Pandora back, for the people." Her face grew sad though, and she said quietly, "and for the people who are no more."

Angel gave a short exclamation, turned and ran back to where Maya's body lay. She kneeled down next to it, and I felt her power searching through Maya's body.

I crouched down next to her, as she frowned in concentration, I asked, "What are you doing? You know that the human body is a fair bit more complicated than a machine, right?"

Angel nodded, still concentrating, "Yes of course, but once the heart is started the rest of the body takes care of itself. All I need to do is reverse any brain damage, close the wound in the head, then start the heart, and she should wake up just fine. It should work; at least, I hope it does."

Axton squatted down on the other side of Maya, and held the dead Sirens hand. "Do it Angel." She met his eyes, and he nodded. She closed her eyes, and her tattoos and wings glowed as she worked. The time passed slowly, but I saw the wound close over, with only a small scar. Even as I watched, it was fading and Maya returned to her previous beauty. Axton stared down on her intently, and I realised for the first time that his care for her was much more than simple comrade or friendship. He loved her, and had for a long time. I shook my head, annoyed at my own stupidity. How could I not have seen that?

Angel spent the majority of her power on the brain, as it was the most complicated and damaged part of Maya's body. Everyone stood around watching and waiting for Maya to move, to breathe, anything that was a sign of life. Angel was growing tired, so I reached out and let her lay back into my arms. Her wings faded from her back, and she closed her eyes as she worked on feel alone.

Minute after minute passed, and I began to wonder how long we would wait before giving up. But then, with a gasp, Maya's eyes shot open, and she arched her back, scrabbling at the ground with her hands. Angel sighed, and sat up tiredly, leaning over Maya and holding her hand with a smile.

Axton was the first to talk, and he said, "Maya? Can you hear me? Wake up now, come on."

Maya settled back to the ground, and her eyes fluttered and focused on his face. "Axton," she whispered, "I'm back, and you're free."

"I am," He said, "And so are you now. Jack's dead, the Warrior is dead, and we can finally free Pandora. Together."

Maya smiled at the news, and turned to look at Angel. "Thanks Angel. That must have been very hard for you to do."

Angel laughed as a tear slid down her pale cheek, and said "I wasn't going to give up, no matter how long it took, don't you worry."

Maya smiled and said, "I was talking about Jack, but thanks anyway," she said, laughing too.

We stood up, and Axton helped Maya up. She was weak on her feet, but she was drawing on Phase and rejuvenating herself. We walked back over to the Vault key, and stood around it in a rough circle.

Lilith stepped forward to pick up the Vault key, and said, "If I ever see this thing again, it will be too soon." But as she touched it, a light pulsed out, and a glowing hologram appeared over our heads. It showed hundreds of systems in our galaxy, with Vaults scattered throughout the planets.

Everyone's jaw dropped, and Brick said, "Are those, _Vaults_?! Holy hell, there's thousands of them!"

"You guys know what this means?" Mordecai said, a wide grin spreading across his face.

Lilith turned away from the hologram, crossed her arms and grinned at us all slyly.

"Yeah," she said, "No rest for the wicked."

* * *

**A/N: THE END! Well, I would like to say a big thanks to everyone who has supported me with follows, reviews, or advice. I hope you all enjoyed my first fan fiction story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I am already started on the sequel, and you should see it up on the site in the next few days.**

**Thanks again. :)  
**

**~Terrorbyte~**


End file.
